Inflation, price rise to stay as long as Congress in power: BJP

Attributing the hike in prices of essentials to the "wrong" economic policies of the UPA government, BJP today said inflation and price rise would remain as long as the Congress remained in power at the Centre.

"Inflation will stay as long as the Congress remains at the Centre. Prices will come down once it goes," BJP National president Nitin Gadkari told a citizens' convention. 

There was no inflation or price rise during the regimes of the Janata Party headed by Morarji Desai or the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "History shows us that whenever Congress is in power, there has been inflation and price rise," said the BJP president.

He said prices have risen by three to four times since 2004 and this was because of the "wrong" policies of the UPA government.

Claiming that one-third of the country's agricultural produce perished owing to lack of storage space, he said the government was procuring wheat at Rs 11.50 per kg from the domestic market and importing it at Rs 19.50 per kg. Sugar procured domestically at Rs 12.50 per kg, was being imported at Rs 35 per kg.

Gadkari said since essential commodities were included for trading in the National Commodities Exchange, it has recorded a turnover of Rs 4.50 lakh crore, but only Rs 4,500 crore was actually delivered.

"We want to ask finance minister Pranab Mukherjee where the rest of the money is and if anyone is guilty of looting the money. We ask the Prime Minister why is no action being taken against him? After all this is public money," he said.

He said although the UPA government has raised the slogan of eradication of poverty, more people were actually becoming poor.

"The prime minister is saying that he is looking towards a double-digit economic growth. What will happen is double-digit inflation," he said.