Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Minister’s Sugar Remarks Draw Opposition Criticism Amid Rising Prices
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said sugar should become more expensive.
He said children should be able to buy it cheaply at government fair-price shops.
He also said people older than 40 should avoid sugar and eat jaggery only sometimes.
Vijayvargiya said doctors and Ayurvedic practitioners do not consider sugar healthy for older people.
His comments came as sugar prices were rising before the festive season.
Congress leader Jitu Patwari said the remarks were insulting to poor and middle-class families.
Some people on social media also responded with sarcastic comments.
Opposition parties blamed ethanol blending for higher prices, but the government blamed the sugar industry instead.
Retail sugar prices reached ₹65.05 per kilogram on August 26.
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said sugar should become very expensive and be sold cheaply at fair-price shops mainly for children.
Vijayvargiya advised people over 40 to avoid sugar, saying they could eat jaggery occasionally instead.
Congress leader Jitu Patwari accused BJP leaders of ridiculing poor and middle-class people facing inflation.
Opposition parties blamed increased ethanol blending for contributing to higher sugar prices, while the government blamed industry pricing despite sufficient stocks.
Average retail sugar prices rose to ₹65.05 per kilogram on August 26 from ₹63.97 the previous day, according to government data.
- Who
- Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya made the remarks; Congress leader Jitu Patwari and other opposition voices criticized them.
- What
- Vijayvargiya said sugar should become very expensive and advised people above 40 to avoid it, while a political dispute continued over rising sugar prices.
- When
- The remarks were made on Wednesday, August 26, 2026; a related video was reported as viral on August 27, 2026.
- Where
- Vijayvargiya spoke to reporters in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Vijayvargiya framed his comments as health advice, while opposition parties linked the price rise to ethanol blending and criticized the government’s response to inflation.
Opposition and Critics
Minister and Government Position
Meaning of the remarks
Opposition and Critics
Jitu Patwari and critics said the comments were absurd, insensitive, and dismissive of poor and middle-class consumers dealing with inflation.
Minister and Government Position
Vijayvargiya presented the comments as health advice, saying sugar is unhealthy, particularly for people above 40, and that he personally does not consume sweets.
Cause of rising prices
Opposition and Critics
Opposition parties alleged that increased ethanol blending in petrol was pushing up sugar prices and increasing consumers’ financial burden.
Minister and Government Position
The government rejected that allegation and blamed the sugar industry for raising prices despite sufficient domestic stocks.
Public reaction and political comparison
Opposition and Critics
Congress circulated criticism of Vijayvargiya and compared his remarks with an earlier comment attributed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about not consuming onion and garlic; social-media users also responded sarcastically.
Minister and Government Position
The reports describe Vijayvargiya’s comments as a health-related explanation rather than a proposal to make sugar unaffordable for everyone, since he said children should receive it cheaply at fair-price shops.
- Speaker
- Kailash Vijayvargiya, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Minister
- Advice for people over 40
- Avoid sugar completely and consume jaggery occasionally instead
- Suggested access
- Sugar should remain affordable at government fair-price shops for children
- Retail price on August 26
- ₹65.05 per kilogram
- Retail price on Tuesday
- ₹63.97 per kilogram
- Government import decision
- Permission to import 10 lakh tonnes of raw sugar
- Ex-mill prices
- Reportedly declined by nearly 20 percent despite high retail prices
- Social-media response
- Users criticized or mocked the minister’s comments after a video circulated online
