Odishatv Bureau
New Delhi: Government came under attack in the Lok Sabha today on the issue of price rise with the Left parties demanding that an all-party meeting as also a conference of Chief Ministers be convened soon to take concrete steps to check the price line.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia accused the government of "total failure" in reining prices despite several assurances from the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. "Despite these assurances, inflation has touched double digit. The livelihood of a vast majority of the people is affected ... One-fourth of the population is going to bed with an empty stomach," he said.

The government`s "wrong policies" of allowing speculative trading in essential commodities and foodgrains were responsible for such high growth in prices, Acharia said, asking the government to take immediate concrete measures to check rising prices.

Demanding an all-party meeting and a meeting of Chief Ministers to discuss the "burning" issue, Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) said the government and its policies of liberalisation and economic reforms has "completely failed".

Taking a dig at the slogan-shouting by Congress members from Telangana, he said, "The government cannot control even their own party members. Its inability is exposed not only in the unbridled price rise, but in other areas too."

Dasgupta said the government had become "incompetent, insensitive and ineffective" and accused it of not implementing the unanimous resolution passed by Parliament on the issue. The resolution, adopted by both Houses last year, had directed the government to take necessary steps to contain prices.

scrollToTop