GUWAHATI, April 8 � Expressing surprise at the �uncalled-for� utterances of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi concerning BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and his observations on the performance of the Congress Government, the State BJP on Thursday accused Gogoi of skirting the main issues raised by the latter.
Gadkari had visited Assam for the first time to intensify the party�s movement against price rise and had addressed a massive public rally at Sonaram
high school ground here. Gadkari with relevant documents had made his point at the rally and at a press meet that the country went through an inflationary phase whenever the Congress came into power.
�It is really surprising that the Chief Minister chose to react at other points raised by Gadkari on the sideline during his visit to the State. The crux of whatever Gadkari said was the soaring prices of all essential commodities including food grains,� said the spokesperson of the State BJP Dhruba Prasad Baishya addressing a press conference.
Baishya said that Gadkari had come to Assam to raise the issue of skyrocketing prices and the hardships faced by the common people on account of the inflation.
Baishya said that the Chief Minister avoided giving an explanation to the core issue of price rise and why his government had failed to take necessary actions to mitigate the miseries of the price-hit common consumers.
�Tarun Gogoi chose to talk about irrelevant issues like the stature of Gadkari but failed to refute the charge of manipulation and speculation which has sparked price rise,� said Baishya, mentioning that those were the relevant issues raised by Gadkari in connection with price rise.
Gadkari had also placed a list of comparison of the prices of the essential commodities during NDA rule in 2004 and the UPA rule as of March 2010.
In 2004, the price of rice was Rs 10 per kg, at present it varies between Rs 20 to 24 per kg, the price of wheat then was Rs 10 per kg, now it is Rs 20 to 25 per kg, the price of sugar then was Rs 14 per kg, at present its price is Rs 42 to 44 per kg, the price of tea then was Rs 80 per kg, now it is Rs 160 to 250 per kg. Gadkari had dubbed the Congress as anti-people for its failure to check inflation.
