New Delhi [India], September 19 : Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications and Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh on Saturday alleged that the Modi government has launched an "all-out assault" on the common man's kitchen, claiming that household budgets have collapsed due to rising prices of essential commodities.
Targeting the Centre over inflation, Ramesh said that prices of items ranging from flour and pulses to cooking oil have increased, leaving families struggling with higher expenses.
In a post on  X, Ramesh said, "It appears that the Modi government has launched an all-out assault on the common man's kitchen. Household kitchen budgets have completely collapsed. Due to the Modi government's anti-people policies, kitchen budgets are in disarray—with prices of everything from flour and pulses to cooking oil soaring—and inflation has skyrocketed. While a select few crony capitalists are prospering, millions of families are suffering immensely."
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2101167752828305424
The senior Congress leader further accused the Central government of focusing on "concealing the truth" instead of addressing inflation. "Yet, instead of curbing inflation, the government is merely intent on concealing the truth," Ramesh said.
He alleged that the common man's meal is becoming increasingly expensive while the government is attempting to show control over inflation through "statistical jugglery." "The common man's meal is becoming increasingly expensive, but the government seeks to claim control over inflation through statistical jugglery," he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of upcoming state Assembly elections in several states, saying people affected by rising prices would respond through their votes.
"Modi-ji, the public knows everything. The people of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa—who are bearing the brunt of this inflation—will make you realise the true cost of essentials when the elections arrive," he said.
These remarks come at a time when the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on September 15 introduced a new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework, under which UPI merchant transactions above Rs 2,000 will attract an MDR of 0.4 per cent, while consumers will continue to transact free of cost using UPI.
UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 will attract a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4 per cent under a revised framework introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), while consumers will continue to transact free of cost using UPI.
The revised UPI Merchant Discount Rate framework will come into effect from October 15, 2026, and will apply to select merchant transactions. Under the new framework, an MDR of 0.4 per cent will apply to Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, with the MDR capped at Rs 300 per transaction.