NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday accused the Congress of conniving with hoarders and creating an artificial scarcity of onions through which the common man was being looted.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javedkar said at a meeting of BJP Delhi Pradesh office-bearers and morcha presidents at the Delhi unit headquarters various Congress government were also "deeply involved in this conspiracy".

`No steps to check prices'

With the prices spiralling and no immediate steps being taken to import onions to tide over the crisis, the BJP has decided to launch a movement against costly onions, scarcity of cooking gas cylinders and the uproar due to increasing prices in the Capital. In the first phase of the protest, the BJP Mahila Morcha Delhi Pradesh would hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Monday.

Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan said that as part of the protest "Mehangai Virodhi Raths" of the party would be running in different parts of the Capital to create public awareness on the issue.

Cheap onions demanded

The party had earlier demanded that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit make immediate arrangements for selling onions at cheap rates from the Government shops.

But it lamented that the State Government had done nothing and the onions being sold at Mother Dairy outlets are of low grade and rotten and might even cause disease.

Stating that at many places those running these booths have refused to sell onion, Dr. Vardhan said the Union Government should immediately stop export of onions from India and the Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, who hails from Maharasthra -- from where a major percentage of onion is received -- should make foolproof arrangement for making onions available in sufficient quantity in the domestic market.

Noting that the price of onion had been increasing by Rs. 5 per day, he said if sufficient arrangements were not made soon then the hoarders would start selling onion at Rs. 50 per kg in the Capital.

`Why not import?'

The BJP leader also pointed out that there has been a good onion crop in China and Pakistan this year and both these countries were prepared to sell onions to India, but due to its rigid approach, the Centre was not importing onion because some Congress leaders in connivance with the domestic onion lobby are reaping profits running into crores of rupees from the artificially created shortage.

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