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Panicky BJP blames PM, FM for rise in prices

George Iype in New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has blamed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha for not containing the rise in prices of essential commodities on the eve of the crucial assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram.

Senior BJP politicians say the prime minister and the finance minister have done nothing to arrest the upward spiral of prices despite repeated reminders in the last three months.

Anticipating that the price rise would result in the party's rout in the elections, the BJP's economic wing had written to the prime minister and finance minister in July, urging them to take urgent steps.

Vajpayee had then assured the leadership and BJP members of Parliament that he would convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss and take remedial measures. He is yet to call that meeting.

Similarly, the party's national executive in Jaipur in August had directed Sinha to chalk out a detailed plan to tide over the crisis. The finance minister subsequently made a statement that the economy would begin to look up in September, but failed to take any concrete steps to fight inflation.

In July, the agriculture ministry had also warned Vajpayee and Sinha that prices of essential items would rise owing to crop failure across the country. But the government continued to export onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.

"Prices of commodities like onions, potatoes, tomatoes and pulses have more than tripled in the last three months. This will badly affect the party in the elections, whatever be the reasons cited by the government," a BJP functionary told Rediff On The NeT.

"There were warning signals that prices would go up. But the central government and the governments in Delhi and Rajasthan did nothing," he lamented.

He said a survey conducted by the party in the two states had shown that popular resentment against the BJP is growing by the day. "It will be difficult to make people vote for us if onions and potatoes are so expensive," he said.

Yesterday, the Centre banned the export of potatoes and onions till the year-end. It is also planning to ban the exports of pulses.

But BJP politicians think the move has come too late. They say it is unrealistic to expect prices to be checked before the assembly elections, less than a month away now.

Clearly, the party is now fearful of the outcome of the elections. In Madhya Pradesh, where it has failed to project a chief ministerial candidate, the price rise could even frustrate the BJP's attempt to dislodge the Congress from power.

The stakes for the BJP are high, because a poor performance in these elections could affect the stability and longevity of Vajpayee's coalition.

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