Madhya Pradesh Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia said incomes have gone up along with prices.

New Delhi:

Faced with prickly questions about rising prices, a Madhya Pradesh minister on Sunday claimed that all sections of society had seen a proportional rise in incomes so no one should be complaining about inflation.

“Hasn’t the income of the common man increased in these past few years? If that is fine, then you have to accept rising prices. Government can’t give everything for free. This is how the government collects revenue. All developmental programmes are run like this…” Madhya Pradesh Labour Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia said at a news conference in response to a question.

“Hasn’t income of the common man increased? Government can’t give everything for free. People should understand that if their income is rising, then they will have to accept inflation too”: #MadhyaPradesh Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia in Indore

(ANI) pic.twitter.com/MjhODZpmkb

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 31, 2021

“10 years ago you were earning Rs 6,000 and today you are making Rs 50,000 and yet you want petrol and diesel at the same rate as back then – this is not possible at all… I want to ask you which section has not seen a rise in income? Employees who used to get Rs 5,000 aren’t they getting Rs 25-30,000? Aren’t businessmen getting better prices for their goods? Aren’t vegetable, milk sellers getting better prices?” he added.

However, faced with follow up queries the minister resorted to the fallback response. “Did prices not go up under Congress rule? Or has it happened only under [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi ji’s government?” he asked.

Prices of essential commodities have seen a steep rise in recent months – especially of fuel and edible oils – that have had a severe impact on household budgets, especially for the financially weaker sections of society.

NDTV has reported how families across the country have faced incredible hardship with necessities like mustard oil touching rates of Rs 200 a litre, up from Rs 110 only a few months ago.

The government has announced some policy measures to help prices cool off but they have had limited effect. From attacking the Congress during its regime for fuel prices touching new highs a few years ago, the BJP-led government at the centre now finds itself defending the over-Rs 100-a-litre rates of petrol and diesel that continue to be raised on a near-daily basis.