Congress slams govt as inflation hits 23-month high

Congress accused the central government of "stealing votes and robbing savings" as retail inflation rose to 5.54% in September, a 23-month high, with food inflation at 7.74%. Onion prices surged 108%, ginger 63%, garlic 55%. The RBI raised its repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50% amid rising price pressures.