Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said on Friday that the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government at the Centre needed to do much more to ease the inflation-related woes of the people.
In an exclusive interview to ANI, when Mayawati was asked what was her take on rising inflation, she said: " In this regard, the Modi Government is not seen taking any major steps to tackle this situation and provide temporary relief to the people."
"It is a matter of grave concern for the country and its people. There is lot of uneasiness among the poor due to this, and it is the primary responsibility of the government to get rid of this problem," she added.
"The Modi Government instead of adopting the standards and strategies of the earlier UPA Government; should take serious and effective steps to control inflation and provide relief to the people. This is what we demand from the Centre.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had asked states to crack down on hoarders, and introduced several measures to bring inflation down.
Presiding over a high-level meeting that included ministers and secretaries, Jaitley had asked the states to delist fruits and vegetables from the Agricultural Produce Market Committee list and allow farmers to sell their produce directly in the open market.
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Jaitley told media that 22 commodities are under active observation of the government.
He also said that the government has decided to release an additional 50 lakh tonnes of rice to states for sale in the open market at above poverty line rate of 8.30 rupees per kilogram and allowed states to directly import pulses and edible oils to meet shortages.
The government has imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of 300 dollar per tonne on onions to curb overseas sales and check retail prices.
A commerce ministry notification said that export of all onion varieties will be subject to the MEP of 300 dollar per tonne.
The MEP, which is the rate below which no exports are allowed, has been re-introduced barely three months after the previous government had abolished it in March. Onion prices have risen to about 25-30 rupees per kilogram in the national capital from 15-20 rupees per kilogram a fortnight ago.
The auction of onions at Nashik in Maharashtra has since resumed after traders called off their strike, which was being called following differences over what wages were to be paid to porters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the tackling of inflation his top priority following widespread resentment about rising prices contributed to the exit of the previous government.
After wholesale price inflation accelerated to a five-month high in May, the new government imposed the price rule on onions three months after the previous administration withdrew it. After a meeting with the representatives of various ministries on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi had said certain measures have been advised to the states to crackdown on hoarders.
Meanwhile, to help the farmers he added that government had advised states to de-list fruits and vegetables so that farmers can save on the middle man's commission.
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