The Opposition on Wednesday attacked the Government for rising prices and slow economic growth and said that despite being an eminent economist Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to check price rise.
BJP, left parties, Trinamool Congress, TDP and Shiromani Akali Dal said that crony capitalism, policy paralysis and lack of good governance was responsible for decline of economic growth.Samajwadi Party said that populist measures like Food Security Bill and MGNREGA would have long term impact in damaging the economy.
Initiating a debate on the economic situation in the country, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Onions are causing tears once again...In India we are today in a situation where the prices of onions, a necessity, petrol, a convenience, and beer, a luxury are same. That is exactly the state of economy.” He charged that the PM is in office, “but not in authority”, and there is criminal mismanagement. He said economy is in “critical” condition and despite tall claims about FDI in retail, not even a single rupee had come into the country.
Terming as “shameful” the Planning Commission benchmarks for defining poverty he said, “let us stop playing a joke with the plight and misery of the poor.” Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that BJP suffered from “amnesia” and reminded the opposition of the stock scam that took place during NDA regime. P Rajeeve (CPI-M) charged the government with working for private interest and not public interest while Derek O’ Brien (TMC) warned the Congress that it would meet the fate of other parties who lost elections due to rise in prices of onion. The “aloo-pyaz index will send the Congress where it belonged to.”
Finance Minister P Chidambaram admitted that inflation is high but said unless supply side constraints are addressed it is not likely to fall.