BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan today held Delhi government responsible for rise in onion and food prices saying its failure to act against hoarders led to the situation even as the agriculture produce was good.
Vardhan, flanked by Delhi BJP Chief Vijay Goel, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly V K Malhotra and other senior leaders, said price rise is caused 99 per cent times due to hoarding while demand and supply was only one per cent reason.
"If voted to power, BJP will constitute a Food Prices Commission, free from political and bureaucratic interference, directly under the Chief Minister to monitor mandis to keep a check on food prices," he told reporters.
The BJP leader said that inflation has increased in the country despite a good agriculture produce.
Accusing the Congress of colluding with hoarders, he said, "and the government was protecting them, how many hoarders have been arrested in Delhi since the onion crisis began."
He also criticised the Congress-led UPA on inflation and said Union Ministers say it is the responsibility of state to check prices but it was caused by Central government's "inaction, corruption and ineptitude".
"But state governments should have the capacity to check their effect on the people," he said, adding after all what is the role of state government.
Vardhan said food inflation affects food security and if BJP is voted to power, Delhi would create a model on food security that would be known as "Delhi Model" as Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen had said that government's prime duty is provide affordable food to the people.
