By OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, May 9: As rate of inflation mounted to a new high of 7.61 per cent, former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy criticised the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for its handling of the situation. Inflation moved to a nearly four-year high of 7.61 per cent, which handed out fresh ammunition to the Opposition.
The BJP leader demanded a White Paper on inflation, so that the people could understand the handling of the issue by the Congress-led UPA government. The BJP leader also wanted the Centre to convene the chief ministers Conference on inflation. Mr Rudy appealed to the government to desist from indulging in blamegame.
Taking strong exception, Mr Rudy criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not consulting the states on price rise situation and resorting to a blame-game instead. "The government lacks sincerity in finding a solution to the problem of rising prices. It is blaming everyone except themselves for the whole situation."
Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the government appeared helpless in containing price rise. The government measures were all ill-conceived, he said and all the steps so far initiated had failed on the ground. "In the absence of a clear-cut formula, the government is shooting in the dark," Mr Rudy said. Linking the price rise issue to the Karnataka Assembly elections, Mr Rudy said that price rise will see the funeral of the Congress in Karnataka. The BJP has built up an emotive campaign around the theme of price rise. The BJP is also listing out the measures taken by the BJP, when it was in power. For instance, the Vajpayee government reduced the rate of interest on agricultural loans from 18 per cent to 9 per cent. During his tenure as Karnataka finance minister, Mr B.S. Yediyurappa reduced the rate of interest from 9 per cent 4 per cent. Mr Yediyurappa reduced the rate of interest on cooperative loans, which helped the people in the countryside.
Reacting to the charge of Union science and technology minister Kapil Sibal that the BJP was playing politics of hunger, Mr Rudy said price rise was not a partisan but a national issue. Mr Rudy said, "While some Union ministers were saying it would take six to eight weeks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the results could be seen in a couple of months.
On the CPI(M) unleashing a reign of terror in Nandigram, Mr Rudy said West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has signalled in his own way about the state of affairs both to the Centre and to the people at large.
