Price rise to push Congress to further defeats : Pandhe

Kolkata, Mar 6 (UNI) The Congress is likely to move out of power in more states after Punjab and Uttarakhand if the UPA Government at the Centre failed to amend policies to check the price rise, CITU President M K Pandhe today warned.

" The price hike of essential commodities is the result of the UPA Government's policy. The Congress will face further disasters after Punjab and Uttarakhand if it does not take lessons," he told reporters.

Observing that the spiralling prices would not come down unless the Government took measures against hoarding, Mr Pandhe said the Union Budget for 2007-08 did not reflect any intention of the Congress-led coalition Government for a policy change.

Mr Pandhe, who is also a CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, said the Left parties had repeatedly alerted the Government against the price rise and urged it to initiate proper measures, but no positive steps had so far been taken.

" The BJP-led NDA Government had to go because of its policies.

The same fate awaits the UPA if it does not go for a policy change," he said.

Mr Pandhe said the CITU along with the peasants wings of the CPI(M) would organise a nationwide agitation on April 18 culminating the present campaign against price rise.

Meanwhile, alleging a 'sabotage' within the Government, CPI Lok Sabha member Gurudas Dasgupta said he would demand inquiry on the floor of the House into the import of 40,000 tonne of lentils flouting official restrictions.

" We consider it as an act of sabotage the way the Commerce Ministry approved import of 40,000 tonne of lentils through a bank loan when actually there was an official restriction on import", he said.

Mr Dasgupta alleged that the bank loan had been obtained on a back date.

" I will raise the issue in Parliament and demand an inquiry into how this happened," he said.

The CPI MP alleged that "extensive hoarding" was the main reason for the current price rise.

He said during a recent meeting, Congress President Sonia Gandhi agreed with the Left leaders that price rise was the cause for the party's electoral defeat in Punjab and Uttarakhand elections.

UNI