Why do prices rise during Congress rule, asks BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Monday held Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar responsible for the unprecedented rise in food prices in India.

Making a presentation to the media on what he called 'Mahangai ka Mahaghotala' (the huge scam of inflation), Gadkari said that the Congress-led UPA government had 'failed totally' on controlling runaway prices despite adequate food stocks available in the country.

Gadkari said that inflation was in double digits during the 1991-95 Congress rule when Manmohan Singh was the country's finance minister, and now again food inflation has touched 20 per cent.

"Why does inflation zoom up whenever the Congress comes to power and economist Dr Manmohan Singh is at the helm of affairs?" asked the BJP president.

Gadkari's presentation comes just two days after the Centre convened a meeting of the chief ministers and state food ministers in New Delhi to discuss steps to check soaring prices. He said all the data that he had presented was available with the government, but it had failed to take the right steps at the right time to help ease the burden on the common man.

The BJP said that Sharad Pawar was 'definitely' responsible as the agriculture minister for total mismanagement which has allowed prices to skyrocket. "But he (Pawar) is not solely responsible. This is a collective responsibility as Pawar cannot take any decision without Cabinet approval," said Gadkari.

The prime minister, said Gadkari, is equally responsible, as 'it is his duty to find out if Pawar or anybody in the government has gained from the inflation'.

The BJP alleged that the definite beneficiaries of rising inflation are the multinationals, big corporates, speculators and black-marketeers.

Taunting the Congress for its slogan 'Congress ka haath, garibon ke saath' (Congress' hand -- the party's election symbol -- is with the poor), Gadkari said that it appears that the Congress' hand is actually on the poor man's throat.

He also said that it was incorrect to blame the state governments for rising inflation as all that the states can do is to prevent black-marketeers from hoarding stocks, whereas most authorities involved in price control are all under the central government.

Gadkari claimed that commodity exchanges were being manipulated to hike food prices and demanded a probe into this allegation. He also said that food articles should be immediately removed from the forward trading list of commexes.

The BJP also demanded that prices of wheat, rice, sugar and pulses should be brought down quickly, a buffer stock of essential commodities be created forthwith, swift action should be taken again hoarders, black-marketeers and those indulging in profiteering at the cost of the common man.

Gadkari attributed the spurt in potato prices to its inclusion in the forward trading list and said this inclusion is a reflection of how the commodity exchanges are misused in India.

Gadkari asked the government to put an end to its economic policies that are robbing the farmers and the 'aam admi' (common man).