The United Progressive Alliance government has begun to feel the storm of agitation from the oppositions as well as its alliance parties over government’s failure in controlling inflation rate within the time limit that is affecting the ordinary public very badly.
With a view to putting pressure over government, BJP, the major opposition party in the Parliament has begun a week-long protest from today while the Left parties (CPM, CPI and Forward Block) an ally of Congress-led UPA government have threatened to begin the country-wide protest from next week.
‘The country’s inflation rate has crossed the 7% mark and the prices of essential commodities have gone extremely high, which forces us to begin the protest,’ protestors cited.
Under the banner of ‘Mehngai Virodhi Andolan,’ the BJP has warned the government either to curb the inflation very soon or be ready for consequences. It has also launched a ‘Kheti Bachao Kisan Adalat,’ in which party would collect the feedback from farmers at the district and tehsil levels over the issue of loan waiving and power problems.
The government would come under more pressure, when Left parties and United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) join the campaign of the protestors. Left parties have already announced to call a nation-wide protest with third front (UNPA) with their four-point demands comprising: i) ban on future trading in 25 agricultural commodities; ii) strengthening of Public Distribution System (PDS) and restoring cut in food grain allocation to states; iii) cutting excise and custom duties on oil and reducing retail prices of petrol and diesel, and iv) taking stringent action against hoarding of essential commodities by strengthening provisions of Essential Commodities Act.
The UPA government is passing through heavy pressure viewing the forthcoming general election scheduled next year with assembly elections in some states at the end of this year.
"The UPA government will pay a heavy price for rising prices during elections," warned senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani on the ‘Mehngai Virodhi Andolan’.
Alleging government, the Politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury said at a press conference on April 06, "We think the measures the government has taken so far have been inadequate. The government's diagnosis of why inflation is taking place, we think, is wrong."
"Between April 16-23, protest actions will take place all over the country and in the national Capital," he added.
"During the last year, price of edible oils have increased by over 43%, rice by 20% and pulses by around 18%. Similar is the rise in the prices of fruits and vegetables. If UPA government thinks high prices are an indicator of a high growth economy, it will have to pay a high political price," said D Raja, National Secretary of CPI.
‘Delhi has to be witness of the maximum price rise in food grains and Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai came behind the national capital,’ as per the analysis of the retail price data of 14 essential commodities maintained by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
In a jointly issued agenda, Left and UNPA has quoted, “During the last year, prices of edible oil increased by over 43%, rice by 20% and dal (pulse) by around 18%. Similar was the rise in prices of vegetables.”
Commenting on this issue, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the public that the government would take all essential steps to curb the hiking prices very soon. “We are all concerned. The Cabinet Committee on Prices met and took certain decisions. Whatever more can be done, will be done," said PM on the occasion of expanding the cabinet on April 06.
However he did not declare any time frame. “There is no time frame, I can honestly say. In a couple of weeks it is expected to moderate,” he added.
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