Opposition attacks UPA govt on inflation, security, CBI

New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha today charged the Congress-led UPA Government with ''bewildering immobility and insensitivity'' on the issue of price rise and threats to the country's security and accused it of using the CBI for meeting its own political ends.

The country's foreign policy, its ongoing engagements with Pakistan on the question of terrorism and functioning of the Defence Ministry also met with scathing and sarcastic attack by the Opposition.

Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address to the Joint sitting of Parliament, Leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh said the President's speech was silent or just perfunctory on many issues of vital importance to the country.

The former Finance Minister said the rise in inflation was totally due to the mismanagement of the supply side.

Procurement has fallen, and by February 2006, the Government had enough warnings from different quarters about the situation to come, but it did not act.

Instead of acting to meet the situation, the Prime Minister advised states to devise a strategy to fight inflation, which was very strange as states on their own could not tackle a situation that required Central intervention at so many stages.

Mr Singh said the prices of pulses had gone up to Rs 80 a kg, making it out of the reach of the common man.

The Motion of Thanks talks of nine per cent growth, but it is very unfortunate that it has forgotten inflation, he added.

The government has not only delayed its response to the situation of increasing shortages of essential commodities, but has also failed to match the remedy with the ailment, said the Leader of the Opposition.

The country's handling of its relations with Pakistan also came under sharp attack by the former foreign minister.

Commenting on the current dialogue with the neighbouring country on terrorism, he said it was very strange that the Government should equate ''the perpetrator of the crime with the victim of the crime''.

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