Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot rides a camel cart as he leads a protest against inflation in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The issue of price rise was on the menu both inside and outside Parliament on Wednesday. But while members of both the government and the Opposition blamed each other for inflation, the Congress in Rajasthan was leading a protest of a different kind in Jaipur.
On Wednesday morning, Congress leader Sachin Pilot rode a camel cart piled with onions and potatoes blaming the BJP government both at the Centre and state for the almost 100 per cent jump in food prices over the last month.
Tomatoes too have joined the expensive shopping cart now with prices shooting up from Rs 20 last week to as high as Rs 40 per kilo at retail outlets in Delhi.
Dr Anjali, while shopping for grocery at a local market in the capital said, "The prices have shot up and our budget has fluctuated. We have to cut down on many things before deciding what to buy." Prices have also seen a sharp jump in cities like Chennai, where tomatoes now cost up to Rs 40 per kg from Rs 25 last week and even Patna where it has shot up from Rs 17 per kg to Rs 40 in a week.
Far away from Delhi, at the wholesale market in Agar, 200 km from Bhopal, traders don't paint a reassuring picture. Lokesh Gehlot, a trader tells NDTV, "Wholesale prices of tomatoes have tripled in the past one month. The rates could continue to sky rocket for the next few months till fresh batch of tomatoes reach the market and that would only be possible if the rainfall situation improves."
And that is a big worry for the government. The overall monsoon deficit across the country is at 46 per cent so far. The economic survey released on Wednesday also stated that a poor monsoon poses a risk to growth. And though the government is saying it is taking all steps to control rising prices and act against hoarders, convincing citizens for whom rising prices are burning a hole in the pocket, will be a tall order.