New Delhi:
The new year has brought little respite from rising prices of basics like rice, pulses and sugar and the Agriculture Minister's sharp reaction on being asked when he expected prices to come down didn't help. Sharad Pawar said: "I am no astrologer."
Wrong answer. The BJP was quick to demand Pawar's resignation. "If Sharad Pawar cannot control prices and bring them down, he should resign. The party demands it," said spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
It was left to the Congress to jump to the defence of the minister. Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said "Let me assure you that Pawar's statement was never meant to be what it has been projected to be... He, the party, the government are all extremely concerned about the situation."
He said the Congress and its government were working to solve the crisis and "for the few essential items you can be assured that in the near future you will see some results".
Damage-control notwithstanding, the BJP's demand for Pawar's resignation is bad news for the government and the Congress. It means the Opposition is zeroing in on the government's perceived inability to bring down prices.
Although the latest figures show that food inflation has dipped by over a per cent, consumers can barely notice that. Today, Pawar did point out that key food items were stabilising. "Prices of potatoes and onions are falling", he said.
So what is to blame?
The government's finance brains point out that it is a complex issue but admit that even tackling hoarders can only do so much.
Chief Advisor to the Finance Minister, Kaushik Basu says: "There are many different things you can do. Dehoarding, which is not an easy measure because if individuals are hoarding there is a limit to which you can do anything about it."
As politicians bicker and economists scratch their heads, watching from the sidelines are those most affected by the price rice. Millions of ordinary people.
Wrong answer. The BJP was quick to demand Pawar's resignation. "If Sharad Pawar cannot control prices and bring them down, he should resign. The party demands it," said spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
It was left to the Congress to jump to the defence of the minister. Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said "Let me assure you that Pawar's statement was never meant to be what it has been projected to be... He, the party, the government are all extremely concerned about the situation."
He said the Congress and its government were working to solve the crisis and "for the few essential items you can be assured that in the near future you will see some results".
Damage-control notwithstanding, the BJP's demand for Pawar's resignation is bad news for the government and the Congress. It means the Opposition is zeroing in on the government's perceived inability to bring down prices.
Although the latest figures show that food inflation has dipped by over a per cent, consumers can barely notice that. Today, Pawar did point out that key food items were stabilising. "Prices of potatoes and onions are falling", he said.
So what is to blame?
The government's finance brains point out that it is a complex issue but admit that even tackling hoarders can only do so much.
Chief Advisor to the Finance Minister, Kaushik Basu says: "There are many different things you can do. Dehoarding, which is not an easy measure because if individuals are hoarding there is a limit to which you can do anything about it."
As politicians bicker and economists scratch their heads, watching from the sidelines are those most affected by the price rice. Millions of ordinary people.
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