Opposition asks PM to lay down a roadmap to tackle price rise

Our Bureau

The Opposition parties have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call a meeting of all opposition leaders and lay down a roadmap for bringing down the prices of cooking oil, vegetables, food & beverages, pulses and spices.

Demanding Modi to break silence on economy, the Opposition said India’s nutrition and food value are under a dire threat. The parties said a rising inflation has followed the collapse in GDP and it is an indication that the Centre has failed in managing country’s economy.

The Congress said inflation and unemployment are the bane of the country today. The party, citing government figures, said retail inflation has surged to an all-time high surpassing even the 2013 level.

“In last nine months, inflation is going up rapidly every month but the Prime Minister is silent. In July 2019, it was 3.15 per cent; in August 3.28 per cent; in September 4 per cent; in October 4.62 per cent; in November 5.54 per cent; in December 7.35 per cent and it is now touching 8 per cent. The vegetable prices have gone up by 60 per cent, pulses prices have gone up by over 15.5 per cent, food and beverages are more expensive by 12.5 per cent, meat and fish have gone up by 10 per cent and spices prices have gone up by 6 per cent but where is the Prime Minister?,” asked Congress’s media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Nutrition budget

He said retail prices of vegetables such as onion, tomato, potato, etc have gone up but the Prime Minister is missing in action. “Is the Prime Minister concerned about millions and millions of household who have now to cut down on their daily food budget, have to cut down on their daily nutrition budget? Is he even concerned about millions of women who have no money in their hand to cook every day’s meal and to provide adequate nutrition to the family? India is on the cusp of an unprecedented food price inflation but the Prime Minister is absolutely silent,” he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said while Indians are concerned and worried about the crisis in our economy, Modi will come up with his argument about ‘why are you not talking about Pakistan's economy?’. “That has been his only argument to everything damaging he has done to our democracy, society and economy,” Yechury tweeted.

“Modi Government is not only incapable of handling our economy, it is complicit in its destruction. Lives and livelihoods have been put in peril. Those accountable for this terrible economic chaos India finds itself pushed into, will have to pay for their misdeeds,” he added.