Sonia expresses concern over inflation

Bhopal, July 3 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed grave concern over spiralling prices but was also optimistic that various measures taken by the UPA regime to contain inflation would provide relief to the poor.

''Spiralling prices constitute a serious issue and all are concerned over it. After the issue was debated by the Congress Working Committee, the UPA government took a few steps to check inflation. Further action will be taken to ensure that the poor do not suffer,'' Ms Gandhi said while addressing a state-level Congress delegates' convention here.

The UPA chairperson's remarks came in response to a Congress delegate from Chhatarpur Jagdeesh Shukla who said the party workers had to encounter criticism in the face of a steep rise in prices.

Though the UPA government had taken some measures, inflation was not fully under control, he added.

During her six-hour visit to the state capital, the first tour after the BJP assumed Madhya Pradesh's reins in December 2003, all senior Congress leaders of the state, including Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Kamal Nath, Mr Suresh Pachouri, Mr Kantilal Bhuria, Mr Subhash Yadav, Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia, Mr R K Malaviya and Urmila Singh, were present in Ms Gandhi's programmes.

She inaugurated the PCC headquarters 'Indira Bhavan' and also a school started by the 'Bhaskar' newspaper group.

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