Congress confident of price stabilisation in weeks

New Delhi, June 30 (UNI) The Congress today expressed the hope that the continuing and enhanced measures by the government to control rise in the prices of essential commodities would yield concrete results in weeks.

''We are confident that there will be results within weeks not months,'' AICC Spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi told mediapersons.

Referring to the special meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) held here yesterday to review the price situation, he said the party had once again focussed its attention on ''aam aadmi'' asking the Government to take an effective, emergent and encompassing steps to give relief to the common man reeling under spiralling prices.

''The Congress understands the limitations of the Government. But for the Congress, the limitations of the common man are pertinent,'' he said.

Dr Singhvi blamed the previous BJP-led government for the present state of affairs. The previous government ought to have effected measures when bufferstocks of wheat, dal and sugar were depleting in earlier years.

In fact, the previous government had postponed import of these commodities which eroded the bufferstock leading to the present situation.

He said import of sugar would have immediate impact on the prices in the open market.

In this context, he said the Congress never hesitated to draw the common man within the orbit of the government. ''But sometimes, its efforts are inadvertently overshadowed by exigencies of government.'' Dr Sighvi said it was because of the concern for the common man that the government had not effected hike in the prices of kerosene and cooking gas despite international pressure, while increasing the prices of oil and petrol.

He said the UPA government was also concerned about the condition of the farmers in the context of increasing incidents of suicides.

It was to provide relief to the affected farmers that a special package was being offered to the farmers by addressing the issues of credit, irrigation, water harvesting and seed development.

''Several measures being initiated on this front would give immediate relief to the affected farmers,'' he said.

UNI SH ARB HS1840