PATNA: Amid the price of sugar rising over the last one week, Bihar rural development department (RDD) minister from the JD(U) quota in the Samrat Choudhary-led NDA government, Shrawan Kumar, on Friday sprung a surprise by claiming that the trend is unlikely to have much impact, as people, in any case, have become cautious about their sugar intake due to increasing number of pre-diabetic and diabetic cases.“Due to increasing cases of diabetic patients, people are not taking sweets. They take less sweets,” Kumar said, adding: “Everyone seem to be suffering from diabetes. I don’t think the rise in the price of sugar will make much of a difference.”His claim, made before reporters on Friday, immediately went viral on social media platforms. While people in general reacted to the minister's statement with surprise, the lead opposition party RJD went after Kumar with biting sarcasm.

“The rising price of sugar has hit common people who used to start their routine with a cup of tea, or take tea by dipping bread or biscuit in it,” RJD state spokesman Ejaj Ahmad said in a video statement.“Shrawan Kumar is a minister and he can afford the rising price of sugar, and also be insensitive to concerns of people,” Ahmad also said, adding that the high price of sugar has occurred due to the wrong policy of the central government, as sugarcane is being used in the production of ethanol used for mixing it with petrol.

He also took a dig at PM Narendra Modi, pointing out that he has often called himself publicly as one who rose in life by selling tea.Meanwhile, sugar is selling at Rs 64 per kg in the retail market, an increase of Rs 16 over the last one week, said a grocery shop owner in the S K Nagar locality, Vikas Kumar. He added that the price of onion is also increasing at an alarming rate, selling at present at Rs 48 per kg, and could rise to Rs 60 and more per kg after the ‘Raksha Bandhan festival’ on August 28.