All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday pointedly blamed the nationwide rise in the price of essential commodities on state governments.

Speaking to mediapersons in Lucknow, he said, "There is no mechanism with the central government to curb the rising price of vegetables including onion; that can be done by the state governments."

As for the petrol price hike, he claimed, "Well, ever since the government decided to decontrol the price of petrol, it is dependent on the international crude oil price; yet the UPA government has made it a point not to implement the decontrol policy in case of diesel, kerosene or cooking gas."

He was, however, at his wit's end when a scribe drew his attention to the fact that even though the international crude price today was the same as it was in 2008, the retail price had gone up by 28 per cent.

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Wondering why the Uttar Pradesh government had not initiated steps to bring down the rising prices of vegetables, Singh claimed, "The Delhi government had already opened special retail outlets where onions and other vegetables were being sold at regulated prices."

Criticising the UP government for not taking initiating enough measures to control prices, he said, "It was high time the state governments undertook stringent steps against hoarders and black marketeers."

Expressing deep concern over the "deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh", the Congress general secretary condemned the Mayawati administration for its "patronage" to anti social element and outlaws."

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Citing the recent incidents of rape in Banda and Kanpur, he sought to point out, "while it was a ruling party MLA directly involved in the gang-rape of a minor girl in Banda, the state machinery went out of its way to shield the tormentors of an 11-year-old girl who died following was rape and sodomy."

He said, "What was most shocking that a powerful minister from Banda moved heaven and earth to protect the rapist MLA and the local superintendent of police pressurized the helpless girl to withdraw the complaint of rape against the MLA."

Expressing his gratitude to the Allahabad High Court for taking suo motto cognizance of the false case of theft against the girl, he said, "had it not been for the court, the girl would have continued to languish in jail where she remained for as many as 33 days simply because her tormentors had accused her of stealing Rs. 5000 from the MLA's home, where she was held captive."