Price rise: UPA parties up pressure on govt

Pressure is building against the UPA government on price rise ahead of the Budget session.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said in no uncertain terms that the current round of price rise is driven by supply side inefficiencies in agro commodities. It is ironic, therefore, that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), whose leader Sharad Pawar is the Union agriculture minister, should be the latest to add its voice to 'concerns' about price rise.

"Price rise is the real problem for our government. We should try to contain inflation and spiralling prices," NCP spokesman D P Tripathi said.

RJD leader and Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, whose party is the second largest constituent of the UPA, has already described the price situation as "worrisome."

Leaders in the Congress, which is heading the coalition, are also worried about the manner in which prices are going up. Recently, Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai is learnt to have said that people in UP had stopped eating 'dal' because they could not afford to buy it any more.

Congress Parliamentary Party sources said that a meeting of the CPP executive is being held ahead of the Budget in which the finance minister would be asked to be present. All the indications are that some plain talking will be done at this meeting.

Ruling party circles are worried about the price line and its political fallout. Party chief Sonia Gandhi had asked the government to check the prices some eight months ago and followed it up with a meeting of the party working committee as also party chief ministers' meeting here on the issue.

A CPP general body meeting is expected before the Budget in which Gandhi, who is also CPP Chairperson, is expected to discuss the issue.

The Left parties, supporting the government from outside, have been vociferously protesting against the price rise. The CPI(M) Politburo is meeting this weekend, which would also deliberate on the issue.

Party General Secretary Prakash Karat has already said his party did not agree with the argument that rising prices were the consequence of rapid growth.

The CPI(M) has pointed out that even in China, where the growth rate was much higher, inflation was controlled at between 1.5 and 2 per cent.

BJP has already announced plans to make price rise as its key issue in the ensuing Budget session, to embarrass the UPA coalition.

The Opposition party feels that it has struck the right chord in the current Assembly polls, including Punjab, by highlighting rising prices.