Watching the price of pulses touching sky, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav urged the Centre to come forward to bring down the inflation. Yadav said that the subject of pulses disappearing from the platter of poor and common man owing to escalating price is serious matter of concern. Adding that he said that once the price of a commodity goes up then it is very difficult to bring down its price thus an immediate step should be taken over this issue. The Chief Minister even refuted the allegation of state government unable to stop the illegal storage of crops and said that this was not the time to make any allegation instead adequate steps should be taken to bring down the prices essential things including lentils. Yadav also asked to encourage the farmers for planting the lentils crops and the government will help then on all possible front it. This will also result in improving their living standard, Yadav added.
Claiming that it was Centre’s responsibility to check inflation, Yadav said that all steps will be take by the state government to check price rise. ``Centre is responsible for the price rise. It should come forward to curb it. During elections, they (BJP) had promised through out the country to have formula for curbing price rise. Now time has come when they should apply their formula,” Yadav told reporters here. “If they (BJP) have formula, SP is ready to help them. But what is their formula,” he said while talking to media persons soon after the cabinet meeting.
“In UP, we have worked on strengthening infrastructure of ‘mandi’ (markets) and increase production of potatoes and milk. We will devise ways to increase production of pulses too,” the CM said. “We have increased number of cows and buffaloes. But when we talk of cow they will take the discussion to other angle,” he said.
On increasing number of communal incidents, Yadav said that every Chief Minister was trying to get investment for his state. “There is Samajwadi party government in UP. Suppose an investor comes and someone blacken his face...You sent back an investor. What atmosphere you are creating...” Yadav asked apparently attacking BJP and its offshoots.
“There is no debate on increasing investment, unemployment. The prices have risen and once they rise it is difficult to curb them. Poverty has increased. There should be constructive debate so that people did not have to face difficulties,” he said. Yadav asked media to tell who is responsible for “price rise”.
Meanwhile with Shiv Sena already throwing a spanner in resumption of bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan, Akhilesh Yadav said though Samajwadi Party has never been a supporter of cricket, it does not approve of incidents preventing sportsmen of other countries to play here. “SP has never been in favour of cricket but it should not happen that you dig the pitch. A debate can be held on another platform but disallowing sportsmen of other countries to play here is not fair,” Yadav told reporters. His comments came against the backdrop of Sena workers storming the Indian Cricket Board headquarters in Mumbai forcing cancellation of scheduled talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan over resumption of India-Pakistan cricketing ties.
Sena, which has threatened to prevent Pakistani cricketers from playing in India, has in the past dug the pitch in Ferozeshah Kotla Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi and in Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. “Aisi ghatna karne walon ki ninda honi chahiye, jitni ninda ho kam hai,” (Those involved in such incidents should be condemned, and whatever extent of condemnation, it is not enough),” Yadav said. “Who will be responsible if our player go for Commonwealth and other games to other countries and any unpleasant incident happens thereIJ Our society shall have to take decisions with patience and tolerance about what is happening and what message is going out,” he said.
Yadav said all the political parties and people should have to understand that “when markets of world have become one, no news, photo, incident and information can be stopped. The world can see it. The scenario was different some years back.” “An attempt should be made to ensure that no adverse message goes out,” he added. In the recent days, Sena activists had blackened the face of former BJP strategist Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman of the Observer Research Foundation, over his refusal to cancel the book launch function of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, prompting strong condemnation from political parties. The Shiv Sena also forced the organisers to cancel the Mumbai concert of renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali.