New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday said the spiralling prices of essential commodities was due to the ruling UPA giving more importance to “multinational companies, share holders and power brokers” than the aam admi.
The party plans to hold countrywide protest demonstrations against the price hike on Aug 17.

“Our economist Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is looking at the society through the share market…The current price-rise is because of political reasons rather than the effects of nature,” BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS.

Naqvi said the spiralling prices of basic commodities are the result of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) “giving more importance to multinational companies, share holders and power brokers rather than the common man”.

He said the “BJP will hold a countrywide agitation in all districts on Aug 17 to protest against the price-rise, senior BJP leaders will participate in this protest”.

Naqvi added the UPA had promised the people during the elections that it would bring down the prices of essential commodities in 100 days, but had failed.

He also alleged that in the last five years, “4,800 starvation deaths had taken place, according to officials figures, while unofficial figures put the figure at 20,000″. “This is a shame for a government which came to power with its claim to work for the aam admi,” he said.