Even before the Modi government’s much-publicized GST rate cut takes effect on September 22, unscrupulous traders in Assam have shamelessly hiked prices of essential goods overnight, looting ordinary citizens under the nose of a silent administration. Back in 2014, BJP had mocked the Congress over “Mahangai ki Maar” with Modi’s posters plastered across cities. Eleven years later, LPG has doubled from ₹400 to ₹1,000, petrol has crossed ₹100, and inflation is squeezing households harder than ever. Instead of relief, citizens are paying the price of collusion between traders and politicians. Inflation’s fire is burning through households, turning Modi’s “festival gift” of GST reform into yet another cruel joke for the people of Assam.