Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for preaching austerity to citizens despite spending huge amounts on self-promotion and said the government has not bothered to increase old age pensions for the last 12 years.

In a post on X, Mr. Kharge accused the government of snatching the dignity of India's elderly, widows and people with disabilities by not raising their paltry pensions.

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"Narendra Modi ji, you lecture the country on austerity and sacrifice while snatching dignity from India's elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities. Why? For 12 years, the BJP has refused to increase old age pensions, even by a SINGLE PAISA, as Price Rise crushes our poor," he said in his post.

"After a 45 per cent erosion in purchasing power, the Rs 200 pension is effectively worth about Rs 110 in today’s terms, the Rs 300 pension about Rs 165, and the Rs 500 pension about Rs 275. But this shameless government would rather spend nearly Rs 1.5 Cr every single day on advertisements and lofty self-promotions!

"Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, the BJP Government spent a total of Rs 5,987.46 Cr on self-promotion in the form of advertisements," he alleged.

The Congress chief alleged that while crores of elderly citizens are forced to survive on low pensions that cannot even cover basic medicines and food, the Modi government and the BJP continue to splurge on extravagant election campaigns, grand convoys, massive events, and nonstop publicity.

"This cruel BJP model strips disadvantaged citizens of their economic dignity while spending extravagantly on political spectacle," he said.

Congress' attack comes after Prime Minister Modi made an appeal to Indians to adhere to austerity in the wake of the West Asia crisis by saving fuel and not buying gold or making foreign tours, to help strengthen the nation's economy.