BJP-sponsored bandh against price rise

Friday, May 2, 2008 (New Delhi)
BJP is holding a dawn-to dusk strike on Friday to protest against UPA government's failure to rein in the prices of essential commodities. The bandh, which is called in all BJP-ruled states, is a party affair with its allies planning separate protests.Though the strike call was given after an NDA meeting last month, BJP said it was a party programme. Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said shops and business establishments will be asked to down shutters but vehicles will be allowed to ply during the dawn-to-dusk strike.JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said his party had held an agitation on the issue of price rise earlier and that it will not be part of Friday's strike.Incidentally, Yadav had also not attended the NDA meeting held here on April 23 which took the decision to call a strike and form a human chain in Parliament.Claiming that the Government has failed completely to tackle the price rise, Javadekar said the announcements made by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Parliament to address the issue will not provide relief to the common man. He said inflation figures of the Government on the basis of the wholesale price index (WPI) does not reflect the ground reality and demanded a separate price index of 50 essential commodities.Javadekar also slammed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for saying that the corporates also have a societal obligation to assist government in fighting inflation. ''The Prime Minister has been shifting responsibilities on others. He should work first and then advise others,'' he said.BJP cadres will also form humanchains in all district headquarters on Friday.