Modi has 'failed' India's two top challenges of inflation, unemployment: Congress

Mumbai, Aug 29 (IANS) The Congress on Monday said that the two biggest challenges confronting the country are inflation and unemployment and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed on both counts.

Ahead of the Congress' protest in New Delhi on September 4, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said that the Modi government has completely lacked in providing any relief to the masses on these two fronts which has made life miserable for them.

"While the people suffer under inflation, the Modi regime is busy diverting public attention by resorting to religious and communal issues. Today, there is no other 'wave' in the country except inflation, worry and disappointment at the government," he said.

Flanked by state leaders like Atul Londe, Charanjit Singh Sapra, Raju Waghmare and others, he slammed the Centre for not even showing the courage to face its failures on these issues, and instead making "false claims" regarding inflation figures.

At a media interaction, citing data of the Congress-led UPA Government headed by Manmohan Singh vis-a-vis the Modi regime, Khera said it clearly shows how inflation has shot up dramatically with a huge increase in the prices of all essentials.

"During the UPA tenure, a LPG domestic gas cylinder cost Rs 410, today it is Rs 1,053, an increase of 156 percent. The UPA never allowed the prices of petrol to cross Rs 75 when the international crude oil price was $107/barrel. Today, though crude oil prices have fallen to $97/barrel, petrol and diesel in India are above Rs 100/litre," he said.

He said the situation is so bad that even those who got gas connections under the Ujjwala Scheme can't afford to buy a refill cylinder with the current high rates.

Countering the Bharatiya Janata Party's claims that inflation shot up after the Covid-19 pandemic as "blatantly false", Khera attributed it to various other policies of the Centre, and its "event management".

"The PM had boldly declared that his government will not impose Goods & Services Tax on milk, curds, flour, and other items of household consumption, etc, and has now slapped the GST on all these food-stuffs. The BJP itself doesn't know what was achieved by demonetisation if it could not control runaway prices even after so many years," he said.

The Congress has been continuously raising the peoples' issues from 'Sansad to Sadak' (from Parliament to the streets), carried out many protests all over the country, questioned the government in the parliament, but the PM was not present, he added.

Now, the Congress will take another step with a massive rally on September 4 at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi "to wake up the sleeping Modi Government" on these critical issues that need urgent attention, said Khera.