Price rise: Gadkari asks Opposition to join hands

Requesting various opposition parties to join hands against rising prices, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday sought their support to challenge the 'wrong' economic policies of the United Progressive Allaince government.

"We are fighting against price rise in Parliament. I want support of the entire Opposition," he said.

Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said BJP was not asking the government to step down, but demanding a debate on the issue of price rise under certain rules, including adjournment motion.

"When you have the majority, then why shy away from a debate . . . besides they have Congress Bureau of Intimidation (referring to CBI) to ensure majority," he said, adding BJP would not allow the government to deviate from the issue of inflation.

He expected that other Opposition parties will support BJP on the issue. The two leaders were addressing a seminar on 'inflation deflates the hope of aam admi' organised by the Delhi unit of BJP.

Terming rising prices as a result of 'wrong economic policies and corrupt administration' of successive Congress governments, Gadkari said instead of investing in villages and the farm sector, Congress preferred to put public money in sectors where private sector was already working.

"They invested money even in hotels. . .they had to be sold at throw away prices as the sector was making huge losses," he said, adding that government cannot become a businessman.

"The government should only invest in sectors not touched by the private sector," he said. In an obvious reference to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, he said lakhs of tonnes of foodgrain rotting in godowns is sold as a raw product to alcohol manufacturers.

"It (rotten foodgrain) is sold at Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg to alcohol industry. . .it is a racket," he said.

Later, when asked whether Pawar was supporting the liquor industry by selling rotten foodgrain, Gadkari refused to comment.

Attacking the Congress, he said while the party claims to work on slogans like garibi hatao, it was actually trying to 'wipe out' the poor.

The BJP leader said farmers were forced to commit suicide as they were not getting appropriate income for their produce.

"When Rajkumar (a reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi) eats food at the house of Kalwati, can't he see the rotten foodgrain and the plight of the farmers," he asked. Quoting statistics, he said experts have observed that crores of people face starvation in the country despite 'mountains' of foodgrain.