'Gold must be cheaper than garlic': Rahul Gandhi visits Delhi vegetable market, watch video

NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited a vegetable market in Giri Nagar, Delhi, where he interacted with women who shared their struggles about soaring food prices.

Sharing a video of the visit on social media, the former Congress chief criticised the government for neglecting the middle-class budget, stating that people are grappling with rising prices and are compelled to make compromises on daily needs, while the government is sleeping like "Kumbhakaran."

"Garlic was once Rs 40, today it is Rs 400! Rising inflation has spoiled the budget of common man's kitchen - Government is sleeping like Kumbhakaran!," he wrote on X.

In a video spanning more than five minutes, Rahul is seen accompanying women during their vegetable shopping, where they negotiate prices with vendors. They also expressed to Rahul their need to reduce food consumption due to their inability to purchase vegetables they previously could afford.

He questioned a vendor," How much does Garlic cost?" To which one of the women standing beside Rahul said, "Gold must be cheaper than garlic."


"A few days ago, I went to a local vegetable market and while shopping with customers, I talked to the vendors to know how the budget of the common people is deteriorating and how inflation has troubled everyone. People are struggling with rising prices and are forced to compromise on small things of daily needs," the Congress leader said in a post capturing his visit and conversations at the market.

The former Congress chief further said that, "We discussed the prices of garlic, peas, mushrooms and other vegetables, and heard the real experiences of the people. How garlic at Rs 400 per kg and peas at Rs 120 per kg have shaken everyone's budget."

"What will people eat, and what will they save?" Rahul Gandhi questioned during his visit to a local vegetable market in Delhi.

Urging citizens to share their stories, the Congress leader said, "Tell us how you are struggling with this problem - you know the condition of the market, you too share your personal experiences with us."

Rahul interacting with the ladies over a cup of tea, said he "closely understood the problems of the lives of women - how the income remained stagnant, inflation kept increasing uncontrollably. How saving has become impossible and how it has become difficult to arrange even a rickshaw fare of Rs 10 due to just meeting the food expenses."

Earlier on Monday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had shared a news report on X highlighting the daily escalation of essential commodity prices. The report indicated that over the past year, staples such as flour, oil, spices and dry fruits have seen price increases of 50 to 100 percent.

"The bullet train announced by the Modi government has not arrived, but the inflation, which is spiralling upwards faster than the speed of a bullet train, has broken the back of the common person," Ramesh said in Hindi on X.