BJP: Govt ‘snatching dal roti’ of common man
The Opposition BJP targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the inability of the government to control inflation. In both the Houses of Parliament the Opposition leaders charged the government with insensitivity on the price rise issue and mismanagement of food economy.
Rejecting the reply of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on the price rise debate, the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj stated the government was not only unable but was also in doubt on how to tackle price rise.
“This is the Prime Minister’s problem. The finance minister has merely given us a thesis for inflation stating that it is co-terminus with high growth in the economy,” Ms Swaraj stated.
Asking the government to roll back the recent hike in prices of petroleum products, Ms Swaraj said the government was not aware that the price rise was affecting a large section of population.
“We wanted a sense of the House on the issue, the FM has provided no relief and has not stated any steps the government intends to take in order to control price rise,” said Ms Swaraj.
In Rajya Sabha, Opposition BJP continued its attack on the government for being unable to control inflation charging it with “snatching dal roti” of the common-man.
Initiating discussion on a motion moved by him, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley said tears cannot be wiped off by false assurances. Attacking the Prime Minister he stated that, “Common man’s stomach can’t be filled up by a faulty distribution system. The government is failing so are the economists who administer it. This is a sad but inevitable conclusion.”
He said containing inflation was a “mirage for this government which drives through the desert. It is a government of alibis.”
He termed price rise as an unlegislated tax on the common man, and said that the purchasing power of people was getting eroded.
“This government needs to have little compassion so far as the common man is concerned.” Mr Jaitley alleged that the government was responsible for allowing foodgrains to rot in the absence of storage facility and called it a “callousness and irresponsibility unmatched in history.” “Official estimates have put out a figure of rotting food grains at 61,000 tonnes, but it was under-statement.”
Mr Jaitley said food inflation has declined from 23 per cent, but even 12 per cent is very high. The general inflation, in double digit, is much higher than those in India’s comparable economies like Brazil, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Mr Jaitley said the government was busy allowing people to generate private wealth in the name of Commonwealth Games.
“The whole nation watches with anger that it is not merely the stadiums which are leaking, it is the government’s coffers which are leaking,” he said.
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