COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Lok Sabha takes stock of soaring prices

Escalating prices of essential commodities and vegetables today led to protests in the Lok Sabha and demands to check spiralling prices and crackdown on hoarders.

The government offered to have a full discussion on the price rise.

The Congress took the lead in highlighting the price rise issue when the party member from Maharashtra, Suryakanta Patil, raised the matter during zero hour and held the government responsible for the grim situation in markets.

She said the coalition government running on 20 wheels had promised that the price rise of essential commodities would be checked but now not only poor people but even the middle classes were badly affected due to fast deteriorating market situation.

Prices of potatoes, tomatoes and onions were shooting up every day and those of common pulses like ''arhar' were also rising.

While she was of the opinion that economic sanctions in post nuclear tests era had also affected the situation, Communist Party of India member Geeta Mukherjee asked whether nuclear tests or needs of common people should have been on the priority list.

UNI