'PM making reels, handing out toffees': Kharge, Rahul fume at Modi's 'Melodi' moment in Italy

Both highlighted the 'economic troubles' in the country following the West Asia crisis and the Prime Minister’s advice to people to follow austerity measures.

Top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Narendra Modi, claiming that the Prime Minister is busy handing out candies in Italy when an “economic storm” is raging over India and people are struggling to survive the “misery" of his “government's loot”.

Both the leaders used the instance of Modi gifting a packet of ‘Melody’ toffees to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni to highlight the economic troubles in the country following the West Asia crisis and the Prime Minister’s advice to people to follow austerity measures.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul posted on 'X', “an economic storm is raging over our heads, and our Prime Minister is busy handing out candies in Italy! Farmers, youth, women, laborers, and small traders are all in tears – the PM is laughing and making reels, while the BJP folks are clapping along. This isn’t leadership, it’s a farce.”

Congress president Kharge claimed Modi wants the public to enjoy the “melody” of speeches while surviving the “misery” of his government's loot”. He said the average debt per Indian has increased 11-fold in over 11 years of Modi rule while the wealth of 229 tycoons, along with 26 newly added billionaires, has crossed Rs 97.50 lakh crore.

“Every aspect of the economy is suffering, but Modi-ji continues his PR, lecturing citizens to shoulder the burden of this grave economic storm,” Kharge, also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said.

Finding fault with “pickpocketing price rise”, Kharge said more than Rs 43 lakh crore has been extracted from citizens through “brutal” taxes and central excise duties on fuel. Recent fuel hikes have generated around Rs 12,400 crore for the oil companies within hours while households are “left suffocating under relentless price pressure”, he said.

He said domestic LPG price has “skyrocketed by 121%, exploding from Rs 414 in 2014 to Rs 915.5 in 2026” while commercial cylinder prices have been “ruthlessly hiked” by nearly 154%, from Rs 1,241 to Rs 3,152. “CNG, milk, bread, medicines – every price is skyrocketing,” he posted on 'X'.

Highlighting “rampant unemployment and paper leaks”, he said youth unemployment has surged to 15.2% in March 2026, a nine-month peak reflecting “deepening” economic distress while 90 examination papers got leaked in 10 years under BJP rule, “shattering recruitment credibility and devastating the future” of nearly nine crore youth.

Referring to the “dampening investment (climate) and sinking rupee”, he said rupee is “practically on death-bed” after hitting an “all-time low” of Rs 96.90 against dollar and India’s foreign exchange reserves falling by around USD 38 billion in two months since the West Asia conflict began, “weakening external buffers”.

He said the total FPI outflows from equity markets have reached Rs 2.2 lakh crore in 2026 till now, which is “already higher” than the Rs 1.66 lakh crore recorded in the entire 2025. “By imposing economic hardship, the BJP government has left around 80 crore citizens dependent on a five kg ration support system,” he added.