New Delhi | Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a reported hike in prices of some essential medicines, saying he has taken "supari (contract)" to "pick pockets" of the people.

His attack came over media reports stating that 384 essential drugs and more than 1,000 formulations saw a hike of over 11 per cent effective April 1.

"Mr. Modi, You have taken 'supari' to pick pockets of the people," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

His dig came a day after Prime Minister Modi said at an event in Bhopal that some people are hellbent to sully his image and they have given a "supari" (contract) for this purpose, colluding with certain people sitting in India and also outside the country.