Telangana has the highest inflation rate in the country, revealed the Economic Survey 2022-23 tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday, January 31, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. According to the report, Telangana has an inflation rate of 8.7 per cent between April and December 2022 against the national average of 6.8 per cent for the same period.
The report also shows that the inflation in rural Telangana was 9.2 per cent while it was 8.3 per cent in the urban areas. Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh saw especially high rates of inflation in 2022-23.
Fuel and clothing were the major contributors for the surge in inflation. Another contributing factor was food inflation due to high prices of tomatoes as a result of crop damage and supply disruption due to unseasonal heavy rains in states like Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh between April-December 2022.
Reacting to the Economic Survey report, Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar blamed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for the high inflation. Bandi Sanjay said that fuel is a major contributor to rise in inflation. "BRS government won't reduce VAT on petrol/diesel prices even though the Centre and majority of states reduced it. KCR continued to push the burden on common man," he said.
The BJP leader also slammed the BRS for boycotting President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint session of both houses of the Parliament. "It is a shame that the BRS boycotted the speech when an adivasi woman was addressing both houses of Parliament for the first time after being elected President," tweeted Bandi Sanjay, who is also a Member of Parliament.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has also attacked BRS for boycotting the President's speech. "Skipping 1st joint address of Hon'ble President shows total lack of respect for a tribal daughter of India. Time to respect India's highest office and institutions," tweeted the minister.
He alleged that BRS and Chief Minister KCR's only focus is his own family. He said they have no respect for the Constitution, conventions, and common courtesies.