UPA too busy with Indo-US nuclear deal than to arrest rising prices

Kolkata, Sep 18 (UNI) The UPA Government at the Centre was more preoccupied to operationalise the Indo-US nuclear deal than to arrest the price rise of essential commodities, West Bengal Left Front Chairman Biman Basu today said.

Addressing a press conference after the Left Front meeting, Mr Basu said partners of the ruling coalition in the state would organise an eleven-day agitational programme throughout West Bengal from September 20 to 30 to make people aware of the Centre's failure to arrest price rise.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was among others who attended the meeting.

'' Let the discussions on nuke deal continue, but steps must be taken to check price rise, '' Mr Basu said.

Under the programme, demonstrations and sit-in would be held in front of all Central Government offices and in market areas, Mr Basu said.

He informed that the Front meeting approved the decision taken at an all-party meeting in favour of selecting an alternative site for setting up the proposed chemical hub, which the state Government had to shelve following violence in Nandigram.

The all-party meeting, convened by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had agreed that Nayachar, an island in the Haldi river near Nandigram and the port town of Haldia, could be the ideal site for the proposed project which had been hanging in balance for quite some time.

UNI