The Congress on Sunday accused the government of failing to pass on the benefits of the recent Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate reduction to consumers, citing a media report that alleged large companies hiked prices ahead of the tax cut.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh shared the report on X, which claimed that while the Centre reduced GST on food items from 12% to 5% from September 22, consumers saw little relief as firms raised prices of products by up to 10%.

“The government had promised a ‘bachat utsav’ (savings festival), but what we are witnessing is a ‘chapat utsav’,” Ramesh wrote. He alleged that the move was less about economic reform and more about “event-oriented promotion” by the Prime Minister.

Ramesh questioned the efficacy of the reform, asking,

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