BJP to organize parliament gherao protest against price hike

BJP to organize parliament gherao protest against price hike

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore April 11: Senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar announced that the BJP will organize a “Parliament Chalo” jatha during the parliament session on April 21. He was speaking to press people during a press conference held in Mangalore on April 11, Sunday. 

Voicing his dissatisfaction with the UPA government, he said that lakhs of people will gherao the parliament. Complaining that the UPA government has failed to control the rising prices of essential commodities, he said that India has an inflation rate of 11.7 percent, which is the highest in the world. Prices of essentials have doubled and even tripled during the last five years, he said, pointing out that rice now costs Rs 40, sugar costs Rs 50, and oil costs Rs 100. The common man is struggling to make both ends meet, he complained. 

Speaking about the control of prices during Vajpayee’s rule, Mr. Kumar said that price hike issues were never discussed in parliament. Alleging that wide spread corruption and the total failure of the UPA government are the reasons for the price hikes, he said that the UPA government exports sugar for Rs 16 and imports it for Rs 34 and exports rice for Rs 12 and imports it for Rs 26, as a result of which prices of commodities rise and the growers receive nothing. 

Although the UPA government says that it has 4 economists, it has failed completely, he criticized, adding that Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar should be put in charge of the Cricket Ministry. Accusing the UPA government of deceiving common people with its slogan, “Aam Admi ke saath,” he said that the government must stop future trading and commodity exchange immediately since these activities have resulted in corruption. 

He said that the BJP plans to submit a petition with 10 crore signatures from all over India and 1 crore signatures from Karnataka alone to the president of India. He revealed that 15 thousand people from Karnataka will participate in the “Parliament Chalo” from Karnataka. 

Referring to the Dantewada attacks, Mr. Kumar alleged that such issues are coming up because the UPA had dissolved the Inter State Coordination Committee set up by the BJP government. Expressing full support to all measures taken against the Naxalites, he said that the home minister’s resignation cannot solve the problem. Labeling the act of resignation as “running away from parliamentary responsibility,” he said that the BJP is ready to support the home minister provided he takes adequate measures to annihilate Naxalites. 

BJP leaders Capt Ganesh Karnik, Nagraj Shetty, Sanjeev Matandoor, Krishna J Palemar, Yogish Bhat, Ramesh S, Krishnamurthy, and Padmanabha Kottari were also present.