Kharge slams govt over price rise, unemployment

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday hit out at the Modi government over rising prices and unemployment, saying that people will not buy into the ''hollow slogans'' of the BJP and will wipe it out of power this time.

His attack came a day after the Congress slammed the Centre over rising prices of vegetables and other essential food items and demanded immediate steps from his government to address the issue.

''Both inflation and unemployment are increasing continuously due to the loot of the Modi government. But the BJP is engrossed in the greed for power,'' Kharge alleged in a tweet in Hindi. The prices of vegetables are skyrocketing and the unemployment rate in the country has gone up to 8.45 per cent, he said.

The unemployment rate in villages is 8.73 per cent and the demand for MGNREGA in villages is at its peak, but there is no work, Kharge said.

The rural wage rate has come down, he added.

''Narendra Modi ji, the people of the country know that before elections, you are working on slogans like 'achche din', 'amrit kaal', so that your failures can be glossed over with the help of advertisements. But this time it will not happen, the public is aware and will answer to your hollow slogans by voting against the BJP,'' the Congress chief said.

''Leave alone forgiving, the public will wipe the BJP out of power,'' Kharge asserted.

On Tuesday, the women's wing of the party had also held a protest outside the BJP office here, demanding relief for people from rising inflation of essential food items.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told a press conference, where the party had kept a basket of tomatoes, garlic, ginger and green chillies, that this could be a good gift option given that it costs over Rs 1,070 because of the rising inflation.