BJP open to campaign by non-Congress parties against price rise

BJP today said it was working on a joint campaign against price rise with other like-minded parties to take on the Congress-led UPA government on the sensitive issue.

"NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav and BJP President Nitin Gadkari have discussed this issue (of a joint campaign). If all non-Congress parties want to launch a country-wide agitation, they are most welcome," BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said.

Yadav has already stated that since the opposition parties, including the Left, were against increase in prices of petroleum products as well as essential commodities, they should join hands.

Many leaders in both the BJP and JD(U) feel a joint campaign with these parties working together would take care of the acrimony between them after their spat in Patna on June 12-13 over two advertisements.

Kumar, however, warned that some political parties which were not part of UPA-II government but lending it outside support were shedding "crocodile tears" over price rise.

He mentioned Samajwadi Party, BSP and RJD among these parties which spoke against price rise but voted with the Congress-led government during the cut motion in Lok Sabha in the last budget session of Parliament.

Kumar described price rise as a "Mahghotala (big scam)" and said BJP had already demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the issue.

The senior leader also reiterated that BJP had held a huge rally in the national capital against price rise in April.