Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday observed a black day and held a demonstration here over price rise as the second phase of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government completed one year in office.
A party protest at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi was led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.

Many BJP leaders, wearing black arm-bands, highlighted a number of issues ranging from price rise, Maoist menace and India’s “flawed” foreign policy during the protest.

Addressing party activists at Jantar Mantar, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said: “We opposed a hike in prices of petrol and diesel…the cumulative effect of that has resulted in the price rise of other commodities, mainly food.”

“The UPA should be elaborated as ‘Unlimited Problems Alliance’ because that is what we have witnessed of it in its first year. They have only churned out problems,” she said.

“This should be called the black year. The BJP will work for the people of India till the UPA lasts in power,” she added.

Jaitley expressed “disappointment” on price rise. He said: “There has not been one step taken by the UPA government to control price rise.”

He pointed out that food prices had increased from 17 percent to 19 percent despite of “wheat rotting away in government warehouses”.

“We discovered how in some government warehouses food stock was rotting. And in markets, due to scarcity, the prices have increased,” he added.

He criticised the “economist prime minister (Manmohan Singh) who is leading the government but lacks an imagination on how to tackle the spiralling prices.”

“When questions are being asked, even today a question was asked, to the prime minister, about the prices, he replies that they are hopeful that prices will come down.”

“We have been living with this hope for the last one year but nothing has happened,” Jaitley said.

Jaitley also hit out at the UPA government for the Maoist menace. He said: “In the first phase of UPA government’s full term they had failed to understand the Maoist issue and now in the second phase they are in doubt what measures need to be taken against Maoism.”

Slamming India’s foreign policy, he said: “The foreign policy is flawed. We are under the pressure of the US and Pakistan. Why should we continue holding talks with Pakistan?”

“This first year of the UPA government was a period of struggle for the BJP and the years to come will see more challenges and struggles and we are prepared for it,” he added.