Kolkata, Aug 31 (Inditop.com) Accusing West Bengal’s principal opposition Trinamool Congress of double standards, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday said the party was blaming his government for price rise but keeping mum in Delhi where it was part of the coalition government.
“This opposition party says the state’s Left Front government should answer why prices of food items have gone up. But what about Delhi? Is there only fragrance of flowers there? Why is this party silent?” asked Bhattacharjee at a rally organised by the Left Front here.
The Trinamool is the second largest constituent of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre.
Bhattacharjee, also a politburo member of Left Front major Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M), claimed that prices of essential commodities in West Bengal were less than that in Delhi.
Ridiculing the UPA government, he said: “It calls itself ‘aam admi’s’ (common man’s)government. But 30 crore people in the country are hungry. Why is there a food scarcity? Why is the production of rice and pulses going down? Why are prices escalating? What is the central government doing?”
Tracing the cause of the price rise to forward trading and hoarding of rice and pulses, Bhattacharjee said despite repeated demands from Left parties, the centre had not done anything to arrest it.
“And as a result, prices have soared northwards. If the whole country is on fire, can West Bengal stay unaffected?” he asked.
The chief minister said the Left Front government was trying to provide rice, pulses, potato, edible oil and sugar to the people at reasonable rates.
