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Centre did little to curb price rise: BJP

Special Correspondent

“Aam admi finds it hard to balance budget”

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party here on Thursday criticised the United Progressive Alliance government for doing little to check increase in prices of essential food items that was affecting those below the poverty line the most.

The party’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, V.K. Malhotra, said even in the two weeks since the Union budget was presented, prices of essential commodities had risen. He specifically mentioned cooking oil. The “aam admi” (common man) was finding it hard to balance his domestic budget, Mr. Malhotra said.

He saw no respite from inflation with international crude oil prices hovering around $100 a barrel. Price rise is a major plank of the BJP which it hopes to keep alive till the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr. Malhotra also pointed out that on Thursday even the MP from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi, had admitted that the loan waiver scheme announced in the Union budget would not help dryland farmers who owned more than two hectares. This was also the criticism levelled by the Opposition, which felt justice had not been done to a section of farmers who were poor, but owned more than two hectares, or those who had borrowed from private money-lenders.

Mr. Malhotra was critical of Mr. Gandhi for “reading” his speech in the Lok Sabha, which was not permitted under the rules.

He wondered why only Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul were allowed to flout the rule that permitted only maiden speeches to be read.

He also wondered why a person projected as a prime minister-in-waiting like Mr. Rahul Gandhi, was being allowed to flout parliamentary rules. When it was pointed out that it was BJP leader L.K. Advani who was the prime minister-in-waiting, Mr. Malhotra charged the Congress was also projecting Mr. Gandhi.

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