Congress takes dig at PM, says ‘Modi hai toh mehengai hai’

Remarks come after government said that retail inflation continued its downward slide to reach a one-year low of 4.75% in May

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over inflation figures for May, saying the PM has no solution to the ‘crisis’.

The opposition party’s assertion came a day after government data released on Wednesday stated that retail inflation continued its downward slide to reach a one-year low of 4.75 per cent in May due to a marginal decline of prices in the food basket.

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Inflation in the food basket was at 8.69 per cent in May, marginally down from 8.70 per cent in April, according to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).

“Modi hai toh mehengai hai! Food price inflation has been over 8.5% for four months. Pulses have completed a year of over 10% inflation, with prices rising 17.14% in May,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X.

“In the Congress Nyay Patra, we had put forth two solutions to price rise, particularly for pulses: Legal guarantee of MSP for pulses, with price determined by the Swaminathan Commission’s Formula – this would have boosted domestic cultivation of pulses by farmers, who would now have an assured price and market,” he said.

The manifesto had also batted for inclusion of pulses in the PDS, to increases protein intake for the poorest, and to shelter them from inflation, according to Ramesh. “The ‘one-third’ Pradhan Mantri has no solution to this crisis,” he said.

The headline inflation has seen sequential moderation since January 2024, albeit in a narrow range from 5.1 per cent in February to 4.8 per cent in April 2024. The NSO data further revealed that retail inflation was higher in rural areas at 5.28 per cent compared to 4.15 per cent in urban areas.

During May, the inflation in vegetables was higher compared to the preceding month, while it was low in the case of fruits. The government has tasked the Reserve Bank to ensure the CPI inflation remains at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.