The annual rate of inflation of primary articles, which have a weight of 20.12 percent in the WPI, with base year 2004-05, stood at 17.58 percent for the week ended on January 1, 2011. Food inflation, for the same period, stood at 16.91 percent. When the common man was already dying a million deaths the UPA-II government has increased petrol prices once more by about Rs. 2.50 per litre.
This price rise will amplify the pressure on the pockets as the country battles the highest inflation of any major Asian economy. It will further escalate the prices of all essential commodities and have an all encompassing cascading effect on the inflation rates. This increase will hit the common man, aam admi, hardest who already have to go to great lengths to eke out a living for themselves.
Parties like the TMC who are the most vociferous in championing the cause of the poorest of the poor are shirking their responsibility by claiming that their all –powerful leader, who wields considerable power in the central government, was not consulted before such a crucial decision was taken. Is it believable that the party which is the second largest constituent of the coalition was not taken into confidence? Isn’t it very very strange that the same leader had on an earlier occasion (September 2000) made a similar allegation when she was the Railways Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government? Even then she had said that she was not consulted by the NDA government before announcing the hike. She had then gone on to submit her resignation (which she subsequently withdrew) along with that of her colleague Ajit Panja, who was then the minister of State for External Affairs. What is it about her that none of the governments that she is part of, whether NDA or UPA, take her seriously? Why is it that she is the only ally who is never consulted before the important decision of increasing petrol prices are taken?
A ploy Mamata Banerjee took recourse to in 2000 is being recycled in 2011. But there is a slight difference. She had then staged the drama of resignation thinking it would help her in her mission of winning the Assembly elections of 2001. She had failed. So this time round she is playing her games albeit differently. She is not threatening to resign ---- lest it backfires! She has to become the Chief Minister of West Bengal, of course not for her or her party’s sake, but the sake of the poorest of the poor of Bengal!
Mamata Banerjee and her band of followers should stop shedding crocodile’s tears for the common man. Even though she very pompously claims that she has not raised the passenger fare the railways levy some of the highest freight tariffs in the world. It charges four times what American companies charge for rail freight and twice as much as in China. Don’t these abnormally high freight charges impact the prices of food grains, vegetables and other commodities?
How long will Mamata Banerjee continue with her untruths and theatrics to fool the gullible people of West Bengal? The educated and enlightened people of West Bengal should wake up to the lies that are being very carefully orchestrated by this party which has been trying to fool the people with the single objective of occupying power. All of us who love this state and wants it to reach the zenith of success should wake up and take note of what TMC, which has no clear political programme, is trying to achieve for its own sake. Can we or rather should we allow it to play havoc with our lives and dreams? Let us not be fooled by the peddlers of lies and deceit. Let us all raise our voices and defeat these reactionary forces that are out to destroy Bengal.
Sources: New York Times, The Economic Times, DNA, IBN Live 5, rediff.com
This price rise will amplify the pressure on the pockets as the country battles the highest inflation of any major Asian economy. It will further escalate the prices of all essential commodities and have an all encompassing cascading effect on the inflation rates. This increase will hit the common man, aam admi, hardest who already have to go to great lengths to eke out a living for themselves.
Parties like the TMC who are the most vociferous in championing the cause of the poorest of the poor are shirking their responsibility by claiming that their all –powerful leader, who wields considerable power in the central government, was not consulted before such a crucial decision was taken. Is it believable that the party which is the second largest constituent of the coalition was not taken into confidence? Isn’t it very very strange that the same leader had on an earlier occasion (September 2000) made a similar allegation when she was the Railways Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government? Even then she had said that she was not consulted by the NDA government before announcing the hike. She had then gone on to submit her resignation (which she subsequently withdrew) along with that of her colleague Ajit Panja, who was then the minister of State for External Affairs. What is it about her that none of the governments that she is part of, whether NDA or UPA, take her seriously? Why is it that she is the only ally who is never consulted before the important decision of increasing petrol prices are taken?
A ploy Mamata Banerjee took recourse to in 2000 is being recycled in 2011. But there is a slight difference. She had then staged the drama of resignation thinking it would help her in her mission of winning the Assembly elections of 2001. She had failed. So this time round she is playing her games albeit differently. She is not threatening to resign ---- lest it backfires! She has to become the Chief Minister of West Bengal, of course not for her or her party’s sake, but the sake of the poorest of the poor of Bengal!
Mamata Banerjee and her band of followers should stop shedding crocodile’s tears for the common man. Even though she very pompously claims that she has not raised the passenger fare the railways levy some of the highest freight tariffs in the world. It charges four times what American companies charge for rail freight and twice as much as in China. Don’t these abnormally high freight charges impact the prices of food grains, vegetables and other commodities?
How long will Mamata Banerjee continue with her untruths and theatrics to fool the gullible people of West Bengal? The educated and enlightened people of West Bengal should wake up to the lies that are being very carefully orchestrated by this party which has been trying to fool the people with the single objective of occupying power. All of us who love this state and wants it to reach the zenith of success should wake up and take note of what TMC, which has no clear political programme, is trying to achieve for its own sake. Can we or rather should we allow it to play havoc with our lives and dreams? Let us not be fooled by the peddlers of lies and deceit. Let us all raise our voices and defeat these reactionary forces that are out to destroy Bengal.
Sources: New York Times, The Economic Times, DNA, IBN Live 5, rediff.com
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