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PM rejects Congress demand for roll back

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tonight rejected the Congress demand for a roll back in the prices of foodgrains, fertilizers and petroleum products and said "needless politicisation" of important economic issues distract from the national objective of finding a lasting solution to poverty and unemployment.

In a letter to Congress president and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, the prime minister noted that the measures taken by the government were designed towards the overall objective of new initiatives undertaken to improve rural and social infrastructure of the country.

He said the unwanted politicisation of the issue would also prevent the government from fully grasping the new opportunities which our skills and technologies offer.

The letter was in response to a memorandum submitted by the Congress party under the leadership of Sonia in the morning.

''This government is determined to pursue policies which are best designed to sustain long-term growth coupled with high employment and modest inflation. The measures taken by us in the recent months and in the budget are designed towards this overall objective even while new initiatives have been taken to specially improve rural and social infrastructure and target programmes which can improve the quality of life for the rural poor,'' Vajpayee clarified.

The prime minister said the issue of price rise must be viewed in the context of overall macro management of the economy and ensuring that the growing fiscal deficit does not stifle growth.

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