Statement of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
National Spokesperson & MP

Rising Inflation Directly Linked to Gross Mismanagement of Food Economy

Inflation today as per the latest figure has reached an all time high of 8.24% and the suffering of common man is further rising day by day. This needs to be recalled that on March 31, 2008, the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram had announced certain measures including duty cuts and had declared that these would start showing results in two weeks time and the prices would be stabilised. Now, it is more than 8weeks and the inflation from 7.35 has gone to 8.24, showing no impact what so ever in spite of the tall claims of the Finance Minister. The Agriculture Minister claims that the country has a bumper harvest and the procurement of food grains is at a high of 210 lacs tons.

Yet, the prices are rising and the government seems utterly helpless. It is now beyond doubt, as has been stated by he BJP earlier, that this inflation and the resultant torture of nearly every segment of Indians is the direct result of the gross mismanagement of the food economy of India. What is indeed depressing is that the suffering of common man is happening under a government headed by an economist Prime Minister. Dr. Manmohan Singh has a historical linkage with rising inflation. In the early nineties when he was the Finance Minister of India, under the government of late Narsimha Rao, the rate of inflation has gone to double digit figure. Now, when he is the Prime Minister the country is almost certain to suffer a further double digit inflation in the region of about 10%. The BJP would like to know, how much humiliation, torture, misery and suffering this UPA government would cause to the Aam Adami. The rising fuel price would have a further cascading effect because no proper measures have been taken to insulate the common people from crude oil price rise. The BJP demands that a helpless Prime Minster like Dr. Manmohan Singh should now at least own up the moral of responsibility of this suffering of common man and resign forthwith.

(Shyam Jaju)
Headquarter Incharge