“Maybe we should take care of our own business?! I remember you were saying the same about the ‘Nationals,’ and I was saying the same back then too - should people eat asphalt?! Eat parks?! What is the public supposed to do?! All of your prime ministers were corrupt or traitors to the nation,” said Vato Surguladze, a member of the Tbilisi City Assembly from the Strong Georgia–Lelo faction, during a council session.

He urged Georgian Dream deputies to talk about the problems facing Georgia and the capital, rather than global affairs.

“I wish you all the best in 2026 - 2025 did not live up to expectations. Thank you very much for the political briefing, but maybe we should focus on our own responsibilities?! Thirty-five percent of children go to school hungry; corruption… there is no corruption, is there?! Lilua­shvili was robbing kindergartens. Let’s deal with that - let’s do our job.

I remember what you were saying about the ‘Nationals,’ and I was saying the same then - should people eat asphalt?! Eat parks?! What should people do?! There were problems during the New Year, prices have gone up… Tell me one thing: when you talk about rising prices, who owns the retail chain markets?! Supporters of Georgian Dream! Some of them have transferred millions. Let’s talk about that, not about what’s happening in the world. That’s the real problem.

We are not talking about the problems in the city - waste management, air pollution, corruption. Every one of your prime ministers - and probably this one too [Irakli Kobakhidze will be next] - has been either corrupt or a traitor to the nation and the homeland. Let’s talk about what the city and the country truly need,” Surguladze said.

After this, Georgian Dream deputy Nodar Bokeria stated that Vato Surguladze had spoken using “false narratives,” to which Surguladze responded with an obscene remark. Bokeria then called on Surguladze to remain polite.

“I want to wish you that this year will be even more successful than 2025, both in domestic policy and in foreign policy and economic development. I will first say what I have to say and then respond in detail to Mr. Vato’s false narratives… Calm down, politeness, politeness!

As the Prime Minister has noted, the price markup from the border to the shelf is 86% artificially, which is linked, among other things, to distribution networks. We must understand clearly that distribution networks, as the Prime Minister said, are not connected to supporters of Georgian Dream, but that many of them are connected precisely to Mamuka Khazaradze. I can later provide the exact names of the distribution networks.

Of course, Mamuka Khazaradze is damaging all of this. This is not an isolated case - let me remind you, for example, of Mamuka Khazaradze’s destructive role in the Anaklia port project. This is not something we invented; your leader, Mr. Vato, was held accountable before international arbitration.

As for the Prime Minister’s initiative, it aims at two things: first, creating healthy competition and forming a market that will then regulate prices itself; and second, dismantling cartel practices, which cause serious harm to our economy,” Bokeria said.