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UPA has no clue to curbing inflation: BJP

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday blamed the Congress for the climbing inflation. Its spokesman Prakash Javadekar said here that the prices of wheat and rice almost doubled, pulses were selling at Rs. 50-60 a kg, and edible oil and vegetable prices shot up, with even the lowly onion ruling at Rs. 15 a kg.

This was a red signal for the economy. Worse, the United Progressive Alliance did not seem to have a clue to what it should do to check inflation.

The BJP already started a jan jagran abhiyan, a programme of protests to send home the message that Congress policies "betrayed the common man."

The party demanded that the price of petroleum products be lowered and cooking oil and pulses made available through the public distribution system. Forward trading and speculative activities related to essential food items must be stopped, and a Group of Ministers must review prices weekly and take steps to curb inflation.

The BJP objected to a new UPA "fatwa," asking for more recruitment of Muslims in the police, banks, the Railways and public sector undertakings. Such a directive, if it was given as reported, was unconstitutional, Mr. Javadekar said. The party opposed any form of reservation or special recruitment on the basis of religion. However, asked why it did not object to quota for Muslims within the overall backward caste quota in Karnataka, he evaded a direct response, saying the BJP did not oppose inclusion of Muslim backward castes in the list of beneficiaries.

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