'Kya Hua Tera Vada?': Congress Targets Modi Govt As Food Prices Pinch Household Budgets

The Congress on Monday targeted the Narendra Modi government over rising food prices, invoking the popular Bollywood song Kya Hua Tera Vada to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on inflation.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report claiming that sharp increases in the prices of food items, pulses and cooking oil had disrupted household budgets. He said the rise in prices was putting the middle class and poor under severe financial pressure.

Spices, Pulses Get Costlier

In a post in Hindi, Ramesh claimed prices of essential commodities were “touching the skies”, making everyday life increasingly difficult for consumers.

According to figures cited by him, spice prices rose between 10% and 25% over the past month. Green cardamom increased from ₹4,000/kg to ₹4,400/kg, while black cardamom rose from ₹2,400/kg to ₹2,800/kg. Cumin climbed from ₹360/kg to ₹400/kg and mace from ₹2,500/kg to ₹3,000/kg.

Pulses and cooking oils have also become costlier, according to Ramesh. Arhar dal increased from ₹100/kg to ₹130/kg, chana dal from ₹70/kg to ₹100/kg and urad from ₹120/kg to ₹140/kg, PTI reports.

Mustard oil rose from ₹190/litre to ₹210/litre, while Safola oil increased from ₹240/litre to ₹280/litre.

Onion Prices Up 82.3%, Claims Ramesh

Ramesh said the all-India average retail price of onions climbed from ₹29.50/kg in June to ₹53.78/kg in September, an increase of 82.3% in three-and-a-half months.

He argued that rising prices were putting pulses and other essential food items increasingly beyond the reach of poorer households. The figures cited by the Congress put the spotlight on the pressure that higher everyday food costs can place on household budgets, particularly when increases occur across several staples at the same time.

Congress Questions ‘Achche Din’ Promise

Ramesh questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on inflation and invoked the BJP’s “achche din” slogan.

“The country is asking, ‘Where have the ‘achche din’ gone, Prime Minister ji?’ Are they only left in sermons?” he said.

Ramesh also said, “The people go hungry, the government stays silent,” and asked whether this was the “new India”.

He then invoked Kya Hua Tera Vada from the 1977 film Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, saying, “Kya hua tera vada? Woh kasam, woh irada?”

The Bollywood reference gave the Congress attack a political edge, turning its criticism over food prices into a broader question about the government’s promises.

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Congress Demands Immediate Relief

Ramesh called on the Modi government to immediately take strict measures to control what he described as “uncontrolled inflation” and provide relief to people.

The Congress has repeatedly raised the issue of rising prices and accused the government of pursuing “anti-people” policies. The government has rejected such criticism and pointed to India’s gross domestic product (GDP) numbers in response.

The political exchange brings the cost of everyday essentials back into focus, with the Congress seeking to make household expenses a key point of its attack on the government.