The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Centre over "skyrocketing" prices of essential items, claiming that it has made the lives of poor and middle-class families miserable but Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "not worried about it".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister should "stop duping people through statistics and take retirement" and only then, the country would get relief from "Modi-made inflation".

The Congress' attack came after the wholesale price index-based inflation remained in the negative territory for the sixth straight month in September at (-)0.26 per cent on easing prices of food articles.

Why is it that the wholesale inflation rate appears to be decreasing in data when the prices of essential commodities are continuously increasing, Ramesh asked.

In a post in Hindi on 'X', he said, "Rising prices have made the lives of poor and middle-class families miserable. But the prime minister is not worried about it." "The prices of daily essential items like pulses and milk are skyrocketing, due to which this festival season is also proving to be a dull one," he claimed.

"Now the time has come that Modiji should stop duping people through statistics and take retirement. Only then will the country get relief from Modi-made inflation," Ramesh said.

The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy and raising concerns over "increasing" unemployment and price rise.

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