Centre’s bad policies led to price rise: Gadkari

BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Sunday blamed the bad economic policies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for rising food prices.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Sunday blamed the bad economic policies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for rising food prices.

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“The Cabinet is supreme, and as its head, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s bad governance and bad economic policies are responsible for the hardships of the aam aadmi,” Gadkari said while presenting a charge sheet against the government on price rise.

Gadkari criticised the Congress saying the number of people below poverty line had increased in the government’s tenure. “The Congress claims to work for the benefit of the poor, but during its tenure, the number of people under the Below Poverty Line category has gone up by 41 crore, out of which, 75 per cent were SC/ST and minorities,” he said.

The BJP president said the party will organise a nationwide agitation against the new government on April 21 and will take a morcha to the parliament.

Gadkari said the NDA government, created the commodity exchanges to help farmers and consumers. But now, it has become a
‘den of speculators’. The UPA shifted essential commodities to the future/forward market-trading list since July 2004.

BJP has also charged the present government with violation of the Essential Commodities Act. Gadkari said the provisions of the act prohibit hoarding and speculation.

He says the government is encouraging forward trading of essential and agricultural commodities at commodity exchanges. Gadkari criticised the frequent, non-transparent and manipulative import and export policies of the government.

He alleged that 48 lakh tonne of sugar was exported at Rs 12.50 per kg and re-imported at Rs 22- Rs 32 per kg and inferior quality of wheat was imported at Rs 18.50 per kg while Indian farmers were paid Rs 8.50 per kg.