Archive · 27 Aug 2026
CPI(M) Condemns Vijayvargiya Remark Amid Rising Sugar Prices
Sugar prices went up around the Rakhi festival.
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said sugar should become very expensive.
He also suggested that people over 40 should stop eating it.
He said most people do not like sweets anymore and that he avoids them.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) criticized these comments as uncaring.
The party said the remarks hurt people who were already struggling with higher prices.
It also said the comments reflected the position of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.
Opposition parties have blamed ethanol mixing in petrol for pushing up sugar prices.
The government has rejected that explanation and blamed sugar companies for raising prices.
Kailash Vijayvargiya said sugar should become very expensive and advised people over 40 to stop consuming it.
He said 90 percent of people no longer like sweets and that he avoids such foods himself.
The CPI(M) called his remarks insensitive and said they compounded public anger over higher sugar prices during Rakhi.
CPI(M) leader Jaswinder Singh said Vijayvargiya’s comments should be viewed as an official government position because he is a minister and government spokesperson.
The government rejected claims that ethanol blending caused higher sugar prices and blamed the industry for raising prices despite sufficient domestic stocks.
- Who
- Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and its state secretary Jaswinder Singh.
- What
- The CPI(M) criticized Vijayvargiya’s remarks that sugar should become expensive and that older people should stop consuming it.
- When
- Vijayvargiya made the remarks on Wednesday; the CPI(M) issued its response on Thursday, August 27.
- Where
- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The CPI(M) said the comments were insensitive amid rising sugar prices, while the government disputed claims that ethanol blending was responsible for the increase.
CPI(M) and Opposition Critics
Vijayvargiya and Government Position
Meaning of the sugar remarks
CPI(M) and Opposition Critics
The CPI(M) said Vijayvargiya’s comments were insensitive, hurt public sentiment, and showed that the BJP government was disconnected from people’s concerns.
Vijayvargiya and Government Position
Vijayvargiya said sugar should become very expensive and recommended that elderly people and those above 40 stop consuming it; he also said most people no longer liked sweets.
Responsibility for rising prices
CPI(M) and Opposition Critics
Opposition parties alleged that increased ethanol blending in petrol was pushing up sugar prices and increasing the financial burden on people.
Vijayvargiya and Government Position
The government rejected the ethanol-blending allegation and blamed the sugar industry for raising prices despite sufficient stocks for domestic demand.
Whether the statement reflected government policy
CPI(M) and Opposition Critics
Jaswinder Singh argued that Vijayvargiya’s position should be treated as an official government statement because of his ministerial and spokesperson roles.
Vijayvargiya and Government Position
The report says neither Chief Minister Mohan Yadav nor another BJP leader had publicly refuted the remarks, but it does not report a formal government endorsement of them.
- Statement by Vijayvargiya
- He said sugar should become very expensive and suggested that people above 40 should stop consuming it.
- CPI(M) response
- The party called the remarks insensitive and said they added to public anger over rising sugar prices.
- Festival context
- The CPI(M) said the price rise occurred during the festival of Rakhi.
- Government role
- Jaswinder Singh said Vijayvargiya’s comments should not be treated as merely personal because he is a minister and government spokesperson.
- Opposition allegation
- Opposition parties said increased ethanol blending in petrol was pushing up sugar prices.
- Government position
- The government rejected that allegation and blamed the industry for raising prices despite sufficient domestic stocks.