New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Modi government, accusing it of fooling the public with “statistical jugglery” even as it said ordinary Indians were being battered by a “high-voltage shock” of relentless price hikes.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “preoccupied with generating fake headlines” and has even snatched away the common person’s dream of building a home.
“The Modi government is delivering a fresh, high-voltage shock of rising prices to the country every week,” he said in a post in Hindi on X.
From Kitchen To Construction: Inflation Spreads
Ramesh said inflation had moved far beyond everyday kitchen expenses, now striking at the heart of household budgets through soaring costs of construction and electrical items.
“The price of copper wire has surged from Rs 850 to Rs 1,700 per kg, and aluminum has risen from Rs 350 to Rs 650 per kg. The cost of wiring a 1,000-square-foot house has doubled from Rs 50,000 to nearly Rs 1 lakh,” he said, citing a media report.
He noted that solar panels were now 10–15% costlier, while expenses for fans and false ceilings had also climbed.
Household gadgets such as electric irons had become up to 20% more expensive, and prices of LED and halogen lights had jumped by roughly the same margin, Ramesh claimed.
Every component involved in constructing a home — from switches, sockets and main cables to tiles, wiring and labour — was seeing steep increases, he said.
“Inflation is giving a shock to the public’s pocket hard from all directions, yet the arrogant Modi government remains intent on masking this reality and misleading the people through statistical jugglery,” Ramesh said.
He circulated a media report on X alleging that a sharp jump in raw material costs, especially copper and aluminium, had upset budgets across the electrical and electronics sectors.
GDP Vs Reality: Congress Cries Distortion
The Congress’s attack came right after Prime Minister Modi applauded Indians for clocking 7.8% GDP growth, saying the achievement was secured even as wars, global instability and supply-chain disruptions rattled the world, as reported by The New Indian Express.
India’s economy expanded at a better-than-expected 7.8% in the April–June quarter, defying fears of a slowdown triggered by the West Asia conflict.
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2026–27 moderated from a robust 8.6% in the previous quarter but stayed comfortably above forecasts made when the conflict began disrupting energy markets.
The Congress, however, dismissed the 7.8% figure as “not an economic spring”, arguing it offered a “Greatly Distorted Picture” of India’s economic health by ignoring weak investment sentiment.
Countering Modi, Ramesh called it a case of “premature celebration”, pointing to “sluggish” consumer confidence, falling household savings and debt levels that had touched a “record high”.
