GUWAHATI, July 9 � The Assam Pradesh unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused the Congress governments at the State and Centre on turning their back on the people after coming to power promising an economic regime of higher income, lower prices of consumption goods and enhanced savings.
The party said that the Congress government would have people believe that inflation was a transitional phenomena arising out of global recessionary trends. �But this cannot be further from the truth. Multiple studies have shown that the rate of inflation in India is irrationally high as compared to other countries,� said Ranjit Dutta, State BJP president pointing out that close observation of the government policies proves that this inflation situation has been created by man.
�At a time when the government should have been increasing the supply of food grains and thereby decreasing the pressure on prices, the government has been found to be a hoarder of food,� said Dutta.
Slamming the government, Dutta said that the hike in petroleum products has further aggravated the inflationary situation. He added that even at today�s international prices, the cost of refined petrol at retail outlets should have been just Rs 25 per litre. �The government imposes various taxes to the tune of Rs 100 percent taking the retail price to over Rs 50 per litre,� he said.
With two hikes in 100 days, petrol prices have risen by Rs 7 per litre and diesel by Rs 5 per litre.
It needs to be mentioned here that the party has been taking up various agitational programmes against price rise and demonstrating against the rise in the prices of petroleum products.
�Transport cost will rise and the inflation in food prices which is already at a whopping 20 percent will increase by another 5 percent due to the rise in the transport cost,� warned Dutta.
The party has demanded immediate roll back of the prices of petroleum products, increase in the supply of food grains by reducing the buffer in government godowns and thereby bringing down the food prices, proper implementation of the NREGA and scrutiny of the distribution of BPL cards and other targeted schemes.
