New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI): Gold prices hit a fresh lifetime high of Rs 1,13,100 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday, advancing by Rs 100 on sustained buying by stockists, according to the All India Sarafa Association.
Gold prices have been on a bull run this year, skyrocketing by Rs 34,150 or 43.25 per cent, from Rs 78,950 per 10 grams on December 31, 2024.
The precious metal of 99.5 per cent purity also advanced Rs 100 to touch a fresh record peak of Rs 1,12,600 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes).
"Gold prices have reached all-time highs as market risks have escalated, such as inflationary worries, mounting public debt, and weakening US growth. Exchange-traded fund flows, especially in Asia, have been a swing factor for gold prices," said Renisha Chainani, Head - Research at Augmont.
According to Sandip Raichura, CEO – Retail Broking & Distribution and Director at PL Capital, gold has had a blockbuster year, with domestic prices up more than 40 per cent in 2025.
"The surge has been driven by heavy central bank buying, strong inflows into exchange-traded funds, expectations of multiple rate cuts, and persistent geopolitical tensions linked to tariffs," Raichura said.
These factors have made gold the safe-haven of choice, though fresh allocations at record levels now carry the risk of volatility, he added.
In the international market, however, gold prices softened, with spot gold trading 0.52 per cent lower at USD 3,621.91 per ounce. Spot silver also slipped 0.35 per cent to USD 41.01 per ounce.
"Investors are awaiting the latest US consumer inflation report, which is scheduled to be released later in the day.
"The report is expected to provide further clarity on inflation, potentially influencing the magnitude of the Federal Reserve's anticipated interest rate cut next week," said Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst - Commodities at HDFC Securities.
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New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
