Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A day after Rahul Gandhi blamed the "compulsions" of a coalition government for the failure to fight problems like corruption and price rise, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday hit back at the Congress.
NCP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Tariq Anwar said it was not fair on part of the Congress to blame one person for high inflation.
"I do not agree with his (Rahul’s) opinion....This is injustice to anyone because this is the responsibility of the entire government," he added.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is from the NCP, has come under criticism for his ministry’s failure to ensure proper supply of foodgrains, especially onions, which has pushed up food inflation to over 18%.
In his remarks yesterday, Rahul had indirectly blamed Pawar for the problem.
Anwar, a senior leader from Bihar, today said the Congress, which leads the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, must understand reality, especially after the Bihar Assembly polls.
"I think Congress should understand what is the ground reality. After the Bihar election, where does Congress stand, Congress should understand. This is coalition era and we cannot ignore coalition governments," he said.
In the recently-concluded Bihar polls, the Congress faced drubbing and won only four seats.
On Tuesday, Rahul had told college students during an interaction in Lucknow, "It was a single party government then (during Indira Gandhi's prime ministership) while today it is a coalition and so has some compulsions."
He was asked why the UPA government is "not able to control inflation and corruption as his grandmother and late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi could do".
Rahul noted that while petroleum prices are governed by international market, still steps are being taken to control prices, said a student, who took part in the programme. Journalists were not allowed to attend the interaction.
First Published: Wednesday, January 12, 2011, 14:58