Bengaluru, 30 October

Home and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge defended the Cabinet’s decision to hike Nandini milk prices by Rs 8 per litre from 1 November, saying that it wasn’t Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who was causing inflation, but “Modinomics”.

“Who is responsible for inflation? Is it the State government?” he told reporters on Friday. He noted that the Consumer Price Index was determined by the Centre.

“If you remember, there was a slogan 13–14 years back—‘Bahut ho gayi mehngai ki maar, ab ki baar Modi sarkar.’ (Enough of the burden of inflation, it’s time for Modi government) Has inflation decreased or increased?" Priyank added.

He said that milk prices in Karnataka remain lower compared to BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

"Whenever they (Centre) increase taxes or prices, it is to serve the nation. But if we do it, they have a problem,” he said. He added that the government had increased milk prices to help farmers.