Opposition questions Centre on price rise, growing inequality in Rajya Sabha

Opposition in Rajya Sabha criticizes the Centre over rising prices and inequality, warning of potential social unrest.

On Tuesday (February 10, 2026), the second day of the debate on the Union Budget, Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha raised the issue of rising prices and said the Union Government had failed to address it. In response, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members said that, unlike in the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) tenure, inflation was curbed by the Narendra Modi Government, and Parliament does not discuss it anymore.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi N.V.N. Somu compared the price of gold, petrol, diesel, cooking gas, and the rupee’s value against the dollar in 2014 and 2026. The prices of essential commodities had skyrocketed in the past few years, and several products were beyond the reach of the common people, Ms. Somu said.

“This government failed to create demand despite the Economic Survey’s focus on domestic consumption,” she said, adding that the Centre had betrayed the people by pushing anti-labour policies and ignoring the demand from farmers for a legal minimum support price. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had turned a blind eye towards Tamil Nadu, Ms. Somu said.

Shiv Sena MP Milind Murli Deora, showcasing the trade deals India had inked with the European Union, the U.S., and the U.K., said developed countries would not have signed a deal with India had it been a “dead economy”.

“Some people overseas and, more importantly, right here, had the wilful ignorance to call our economy dead,” Mr. Deora said, apparently criticising a recent comment by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “If India’s economy is dead, how is India the fastest growing major economy in the world? How is UPI processing over 70 crore transactions per day, making India the global leader in real time digital payment?” Mr. Deora said.

Surendra Singh Nagar of the BJP said the Centre had curbed inflation, and that was the reason Parliament no longer discussed price rise. Under the UPA, there was double-digit inflation, and the situation improved under the Narendra Modi Government, Mr. Nagar said.