Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the NDA Government over price rise and ridiculed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan for attributing food inflation to hoarding and other reasons.
Maintaining that the price of diesel, petrol and sugar and rail fare and freight were increased in the name of “tough steps” reducing to a joke the promise of containing price hike, AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also released an agenda paper of a conference of the Government in which the latter had explained the factors that contribute to food inflation.
Surjewala said while prices are skyrocketing, the Government is trying to hoodwink people and he went on to coin a new slogan, 'Modi Sarkar, laai Menhgaai aur haahaakaar.Quoting from the paper from the conference attended by Jaitley and Paswan, Surjewala said the Government has cited increased public expenditure like MGNREGA, rising per capita income, population growth and changing dietary pattern as reasons for food inflation.
“When did they make those earthshaking discoveriesIJ When did they come across this enlightenmentIJ Perhaps after May 26, when they formed the Government. NDA Government should coin a new slogan now ‘Modi Sarkar; laai Menhgaai aur haahaakaar (Modi Government has brought rising prices and deep trouble),” Surjewala said.He also attacked Union Minister Prakash Javadekar for his comment that inflation was not an electrical switch that can be turned on and off and Jaitley over his remarks that prices are rising because the normal supply is disrupted by hoarders anticipating higher prices due to late start of monsoon.
Further the party appears to have decided to raise the pitch in its demand for being accorded the status of the leader of Opposition (lOP) for its nominee in the lok Sabha making it clear that the Speaker has no arbitrary powers.Insisting that the powers of the Speaker are “neither arbitrary, nor unbridled or unilateral” on deciding the issue, Surjewala said the post of the lOP is a “constitutional right” of Congress as the biggest the party in the Opposition as also the biggest pre-poll alliance.
When told that the Government was saying that the Speaker has to decide the issue, Surjewala remarked “we all know the Speaker also consults Government of the day”. Surjewala’s remarks came on the eve of the customary meeting of leaders of political parties convened by lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan ahead of the Budget Session.