New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj launched a scathing attack on the government over price rise asking it to wake from "deep slumber" and provide urgently needed relief to ordinary people suffering under the burden imposed by rising inflation. Addressing the government's argument that a rise in price of LPG,auto fuels and kerosene were muchneeded corrections to trim subsidies,Swaraj said that while "the government has fixed its budget,it has ruined the budget of the common people".
Speaking in Lok Sabha on Tuesday,the BJP leader said the assurances offered by the government that inflation would decline had not been kept.Instead,the Centre had advised states to reduce sales tax to help mitigate the effect of price rise on fuels.The government should itself take the first step by cutting custom rates,she said. Swaraj contested the government's claim that oil companies were badly off and their bleeding finances needed urgent attention.Her claim that oil PSUs had earned profits of hundreds of crores was countered by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee who said she was not presenting an accurate picture.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also sat through Swaraj's speech. The Leader of Opposition was critical of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's reported remarks that the money saved from the subsidy bill would be channeled into welfare schemes."If you survive the night will you see the dawn,"she said,pointing out that inflation was wrecking havoc with the poor and the middle classes.
From Congress benches,east Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit said price rise was definitely hurting the people and that MPs like him had taken up the need to act fast with the PM and Mukherjee.But he contested the Opposition's claim of wrongdoing on part of the government,pointing out that none had been proved as yet.
He said issues like foodgrain rotting and a poor public delivery system had been there for years and UPA-2 was not solely responsible for such a situation.On the other hand,the government was looking to address the needs of the poor through a Food Security Act.He criticised Left and JD(U) for raising revenues through duties on petroleum products but being critical of the Centre for doing so. Both the Yadav leaders,Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad,were critical of the government.Referring to what is clearly a sore point,Mulayam said,"The CBI will be used against Lalu and me while ill-gotten wealth is stored in Switzerland.The money will not be brought back while the poor man suffers and the rich get richer." The SP chief was benefited to some extent by the prompting he received from senior MP Reoti Raman Singh and Lalu as well.His criticism of home minister P Chidambaram for threatening him over rollout of VAT during his term as UP CM,saw the minister respond that Mulayam needed to be congratulated for the decision.
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(source-toi)
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