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Jairam Ramesh Slams Govt Over 'Sab Mehenga Si'

Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications and Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Central government over the country's economic situation, stating that while the Prime Minister claims "all is well," the reality on the ground is skyrocketing prices and shrinking incomes.

Taking to X, the senior Congress leader cited recent government and private economic data to corner the Centre over persistent high inflation and declining real wages. Taking a direct swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramesh posted, "The PM keeps saying सब चंगा सी (all is well), but actually सब महँगा सी (everything is expensive)."

Highlighting the strain on household budgets due to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), the Congress MP wrote, "Official data just released shows that for four consecutive months now the WPI (Wholesale Price Index) inflation has been hovering around 10%. Prices of all essential commodities have continued their upward rise causing huge hardships to crores of families."

Ramesh further pointed to findings by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) to underline the distress in the labor market, particularly in rural parts of the country. "To compound the misery, according to CMIE data, inflation-adjusted wages have also been consistently falling with a 5.7% drop since April. Rural India has seen a massive 9% decline - even in nominal terms, rural wages have fallen," Ramesh stated.

Wholesale Inflation Rises in August

Ramesh’s remarks came after the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities in August 2026 stood at 110.8, with annual wholesale inflation rising to 9.92 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, according to official data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

The figure marks a marginal uptick from July 2026, when headline wholesale inflation stood at 9.78 per cent. At the same time, the index for all commodities inched up from 110.0 recorded in the previous month.

The upward trajectory reflects price pressures across major industrial and energy segments. Fuel and power led the surge, with YoY inflation accelerating to 22.93 per cent in August from 20.05 per cent in July. In contrast, primary articles saw a moderation, with inflation slowing to 7.76 per cent compared to 8.52 per cent in the preceding month. Inflation in manufactured products rose slightly to 8.37 per cent from 8.29 per cent over the same period.

In terms of index levels, primary articles reached 118.1 in August, up from 117.2 in July. The fuel and power index advanced to 108.3 from 105.4, while manufactured products edged higher to 108.8 from 108.4.

The official data pointed to specific commodity segments that drove wholesale price movements during the month. (ANI)