Sonia for empowering states to act against hoarders

New Delhi, Aug 1: Criticising the NDA Government for withrawing the powers of the States to act tough against hoarders of essential commodities, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today underlined the need for empowering the States to take tough and preventive action against such elements.

''What is generally not known is that the NDA Government withdrew these powers in February 2002,'' she said, in her address to the General Body Meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party here.

''Discussions in both Houses of Parliament have clearly shown that that there is a wide consensus on both these areas,'' she noted.

Expressing concern over the soaring prices, Mrs Gandhi pointed out that the Government had taken a decisive action to import pulses, which had a ''beneficial effect'' in bringing down their prices. The Government was also importing wheat because of the shortfall in production and procurement, she added.

Blaming the NDA Government for having exported over 14 million tonnes of wheat during its tenure, she said that they were still dealing with the ''consequences of the most insensitive decision of the NDA government''.

Noting that the rising oil prices globally had placed a heavy burden on Indian economy, which had led to the Government increasing petrol and diesel prices but at the same time ensuring that prices of kerosene and cooking gas did not go up, she congratulated the Congress Chief Ministers for reducing state taxes on petrol and diesel to soften the impact of price rise on consumers.

UNI