Price rise and the Centre's failure to deal with it will be the major election plank for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.
"The common man is feeling the heat of increasing prices. The Centre has failed on the economic front. Our party will highlight this as one of the major election issues," senior BJP leader Ram Naik told PTI.
Claiming that the national economic scenario appears to be gloomy, Naik said the Centre's official rate of inflation is fast decreasing inspite of the ever increasing prices.
"The government has already indicated that the prices could increase further. Besides this, the agricultural production has not been encouraging," he said accusing Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar of negligence in handling the situation.
Giving a comparison of the prices of essential commodities in the last five years, the former Petroleum minister said Toor dal cost Rs 30 per kg in May 2004 while now it is Rs 100 per kg, an increase of 233 per cent.
Similarly, rice, which cost Rs 10 per kg in May 2004 now costs Rs 25 per kg, an increase of 150 per cent, he said.
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He said the Centre discontinued the practice of publishing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in February 2008 as a result of which the common man could not understand what is happening in the retail market.
"The government said it will compile linked CPI (UNME) numbers till a new series of CPI (Urban) is brought out. But, more than a year has gone by and it is yet to be published," he said accusing the government of hoodwinking the common man.
On alliance with the Shiv Sena, Naik said they will retain the seat sharing formula of 117 seats for BJP as against 171 for their allies.
"Due to delimitation, certain constituencies can be exchanged and a decision will be taken soon," he said.
With the emergence of Third Front in the state, he said, a quadrangle fight is on cards provided the Congress-NCP continued their alliance.
"The Third Front will reduce the Congress vote share which will benefit us," he claimed.