NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge targeted the Centre over rising inflation saying that while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was “busy buying shopping from other parties”, common people could not even “afford basic necessities!”Kharge’s remarks come at a time when several MPs and MLAs from key opposition parties either merged with the ruling party or expressed their support for it. 6 of 9 Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in Lok Sabha have reportedly sided with the Eknath Shinde faction. 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs decided to merge with the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extend their support to NDA. 7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs merged with the BJP earlier this year.“Rapidly depleting savings due to high inflation, Unaffordability, betrayal of aspirations, inequality, fall in global credibility, youth anger galore! Households perish under the weight of Modi Govt’s mismanagement of the economy!” Kharge said in a post on X.“BJP busy shopping from other parties, but the AAM AADMI can’t afford basic necessities!” he added.“Retail inflation at a 16-month high; food inflation at 4.78%, tomatoes disappearing from plates; medical inflation above 15%; rupee continues to weaken; foreign investors are pulling back; youth face a jobs crisis as unemployment rises,” he noted.RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra cautioned that the monetary policy committee (MPC) will need to remain vigilant about the inflation trajectory, particularly in light of the fuel price revisions in May.“We need to be watchful of the inflation trajectory. Going forward, revision in retail prices of petrol and diesel in May would lead to higher fuel inflation in the coming months,” ANI quoted the governor saying.Centre hiked petrol prices thrice in a month amid continued stress due to Hormuz blockade causing oil supply disruptions due to US-Iran war.