# Bihar minister’s ‘who eats sweets’ remark on sugar price draws fire 2026-08-21T14:18:47+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Bihar minister of prohibition and excise Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has faced backlash after questioning who eats sweets amid concerns over rising sugar prices. Speaking to reporters, he said, 'Who eats sweets these days? Everyone has diabetes,' and suggested sugar was not an essential commodity. Independent MP Pappu Yadav strongly criticised Chaudhary, accusing the Bihar government of being out of touch with common people's struggles. Yadav demanded action against the minister for what he called an insensitive comment, and questioned the state's response to price rise. Sugar prices have increased by about Rs 2-3 per kilogram in recent weeks in Bihar, according to local traders. The minister's remark came during a discussion on inflation, which has become a politically charged issue in the state ahead of the next assembly elections. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The minister's comment reflects a recurring disconnect between policymakers and voters on kitchen-budget issues. In Bihar, sugar is a staple used daily in tea and cooking by most households, and the diabetes remark trivialises a genuine cost-of-living squeeze. Price rise of essential items, including sugar, has been a major talking point for the opposition in Bihar, which goes to polls in 2025. The next test of public sentiment on inflation will be the by-elections due later this year in several assembly seats across the state. ## Coverage - ndtvprofit.com Straight news report with no editorial slant, leading with the minister's quote and the MP's reaction. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bihar, inflation, Pappu Yadav, sugar price, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bihar-ministers-who-eats-sweets-remark-on-sugar-price-draws-fire/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bihar-ministers-who-eats-sweets-remark-on-sugar-price-draws-fire/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/