BJP hits out at UPA for inflation, seeks support for bandh

Patna: Claiming the country was passing through the worst economic and inflationary phase during the UPA government's second term headed by an economist, prime minister Manmohan Singh, the BJP today urged people to make tomorrow's NDA-sponsored 'Bharat Bandh' a success.

"India has been facing its worst economic and inflationary trends since the UPA government returned to power last year with the latest petroleum price hike, further aggravating inflation and hardship to the common man, BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

Claiming that the latest petro price rise will escalate inflation of food products at 20 per cent and general inflation at 12 per cent, he asked the Centre to explain the justification for its decision in this regard.

Prasad charged the Congress with ignoring interests of common people and said NDA has decided to expose conspiracy behind the price rise and hence given the bandh call.

With the Congress slated to field its top leadership including party President Sonia Gandhi, National General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and even the prime minister in electoral turf of Bihar later this year, these leaders must explain if the "health of petroleum companies was more important that the health of the common man", BJP said.

Otherwise, what could be the rationale of petroleum prices' increase in India when these products were being sold at the rate of Rs. 22 to Rs. 36 in neighbouring countries, he asked and suggested the UPA government should slash the taxes on such products to give relief to the people.

The senior BJP leader alleged that the UPA government raised the fuel price to oblige the already profit-making petroleum companies like the IOC, HPCL and BPCL as they have donated Rs. 250 crore to the Rajiv Gandhi Petroleum Institute at Rai Bareli (Uttar Pradesh).

On the UPA government's decision to de-control the petroleum products' prices, Prasad wondered as to why the companies were nationalised in 1976 by the then Indira Gandhi government if prices had to be regulated by the market forces.

He asked the Centre to withdraw the list of essential commodities from the purview of the commodity exchanges to ensure stable price of these products.

Only one per cent of the traded volume of the essential commodities goes to the genuine trader, the rest goes into the pockets of the middleman and brokers at the commodity exchanges, Prasad pointed out.

The BJP leader pointed out while the Prime Minister had said that the price rise will be reined in by December this year, his cabinet colleague finance minister Pranab Mukherji was quoted as saying that the same will happen by March next.

Prasad took to task the UPA government on circulation of various figures about the number of people below poverty line. While the Planning Commission put the figure at 27.4 per cent, the N C Saxena, Arjun Sengupta and Suresh Tendulkar committees variously identified the BPL numbers at 50 per cent, 77 per cent and 37.2 per cent respectively, he said.

On the July 10 'Bihar bandh' call given by the RJD-LJP combine against price rise, the BJP leader said though the combine was shedding crocodile's tear on price rise with a view on electoral politics, it had supported the UPA government at the Centre and came out for its rescue time and again in recent past.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_bjp-hits-out-at-upa-for-inflation-seeks-support-for-bandh_1405180