IN SUPPORT OF DALITS: (From left) Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Bharatiya Janata Party State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda, BJP vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu, party Scheduled Caste Morcha president Ramnath Kovind, morcha vice-presi dent Kailashnath, and H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP, at the BJP SC Morcha national convention in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre of having failed to control prices of petrol, diesel and essential commodities. This was affecting the lives of the poor, particularly Dalits and backward classes, he said.

Addressing a two-day national convention of the Scheduled Caste Morcha of the party here, he said there had been a food surplus when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government ruled. But now country was facing a food deficit. The price of 1 kg of tomato in Andhra Pradesh was Re. 1 while it was Rs. 40 in New Delhi, he said and wondered why there was this huge price difference.

Mr. Naidu criticised the UPA government for not making a serious effort to bring down prices, which showed that it had no concern for the common man. "While people are weeping, the UPA leaders are sleeping," he said. They wanted the poor to remain in penury so that they would be dependent on the Congress. How could the Communists, who claimed that they were pro-poor, keep silent over the steep price rise, he asked.

Mr. Naidu said the BJP could not be an idle spectator to the damage being done to the poor. The party would organise a national-level agitation next month demanding that the Centre take steps to arrest the soaring prices.

Replying to the criticism that the BJP was not a party of Dalits and backward classes, Mr. Naidu said most of the party's MPs were either Dalits or from the backward classes.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said the fact that he had earmarked Rs. 2,000 crore in the budget for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes was proof that the BJP was serious about their welfare. He said the Government had decided to establish the Karnataka State Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation for providing financial support to unemployed tribal youth. Mr. Yediyurappa said the Government would build three lakh houses for the poor, including Dalits.

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