New Delhi: BJP on Saturday defended Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi after his spat with Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee, saying price rise was a result of the
"politics of largesse" played by UPA which did not implement
its poll promise of giving wheat at Rs 3 to BPL families.
Referring to the verbal duel between the two leaders at
the Chief Ministers' meeting, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap
Rudy said Modi was right in saying that the Central government
was "squarely responsible" for price rise.
"Mukherjee told Modi that he was politicising the issue
of price rise but the truth is that the Central government,
the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister were hiding their
failure to control prices," Rudy claimed.
Defending Modi, Rudy said the Gujarat Chief Minister had
only stated that Congress had not fulfilled its election
promise of providing wheat at Rs 3 per kg to BPL families.
Congress had said in its election manifesto that it would
bring the Food Security Bill which would ensure this, he said.
"The Union government stands exposed completely and BJP
has again reiterated that policies of the government....the
largesse promised and this politics of largesse were
responsible for price rise," Rudy said.
He further asserted that the Centre, and not the state
governments, was responsible for price rise.
"Modi has only said that the Union government is squarely
responsible for price rise....The Finance Minister is saying
Chief Ministers should take steps like invoking ESMA and
preventing hoarding to check price rise. By this, the
government is only attempting to pass the buck to the state
governments," Rudy said.
He argued that government was clueless on price rise and
if the state governments were responsible for price rise then
Congress-ruled states should have been able to control prices.
"This shows that states have no role and Central
government's failure has led to price rise," he insisted.
The Rajya Sabha MP also downplayed the promise made by
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the meeting that the worst in
the ongoing recession was over.
"PM has said that the worst is over but he has been
saying this for the last three months," Rudy said.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 06, 2010, 20:15