New Delhi, 09 June (H.S.): The Congress on Tuesday questioned the Narendra Modi government over a range of issues, including the reduction in subsidised LPG cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme, inflation, the economy, unemployment, examination paper leaks and farmer suicides, on the anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in for his third term.

Addressing reporters at the party headquarters, Congress Research Department Chairman Rajeev Gowda said that while the government claims India is moving toward becoming the world's third-largest economy, the reality is that the country has slipped from the fourth to the sixth position. He alleged that the weakening of the rupee reflects the government's failure in economic management. According to him, investors are moving away from India and inflation continues to rise.

Gowda further stated that the Modi government has reduced the number of subsidised LPG cylinders provided to beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme from nine to four. He said that a decade ago, the government had promised to provide women with safe and clean cooking fuel and had announced the supply of 12 cylinders per beneficiary annually. According to him, the number was later reduced to nine and has now been cut to four. He alleged that the government's promises remain confined to publicity campaigns, while people have received little actual relief.

Congress Research and Monitoring Department in-charge Amitabh Dubey claimed that since 2014, the price of domestic LPG has increased by 123 per cent, petrol prices by 44 per cent and diesel prices by 73 per cent. He further stated that the prices of milk and pulses have risen by 71 per cent and 84 per cent, respectively.

Dubey said that despite the government's promises regarding employment, MSMEs, farmers and the education sector, the reality is that one out of every four graduates is unemployed. He claimed that urban youth unemployment stands at 18.4 per cent, around 40,000 micro, small and medium enterprises shut down last year, and that one farmer dies by suicide every hour.

He further alleged that despite claims of modernising the education system, there have been 89 examination paper leaks and 48 re-examinations so far. He demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Dubey also said that despite claims regarding Smart Cities and railway modernisation, people across the country continue to struggle with extreme heat, pollution and inadequate transportation infrastructure. Referring to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, he claimed that 22,413 people died on railway tracks and that 31 major rail accidents occurred during 2024–25. He further alleged that the Kavach railway safety system has been implemented on only two per cent of the railway network.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar