Cabinet committee to discuss price rise tomorrow

New delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) Amid all round criticism against the ruling UPA on price rise and the inflation touching the 'disturbing' 6.68 per cent mark, the Manmohan Singh government has called for a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Prices (CCP) tomorrow.

The CCP meeting would be followed by a high-level meeting on April three to consider measures for maintaining adequate commodity supplies.

There are indications that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might soon convene a meeting of Chief Ministers of all states to discuss the issue of price rise to suggest effective measures against blackmarketing and hoarding.

Senior Congress leaders feel that a meeting of the CMs would help get states to work out means to curb skyrocketing prices as checking hoarding and blackmarketing are essentially a state subject.

With the prices of essential commodities going up and the inflation registering a 13-month-high of 6.68 per cent, it has created a political headache for the government, ahead of the polls in eight state assemblies and the Lok Sabha election next year.

What seems to be more disturbing for the ruling Congress was the threat of the Left parties and the Opposition BJP-led NDA to launch a country-wide agitation against price rise.

The Congress was all the more worried that the price rise and high inflation rate should not affect the positive impact that its 2008-09 Union Budget had generated.

There are indications that Congress President Sonia Gandhi might convene a meeting of the Congress Working Committee to discuss the issue of price rise.

She had done so last year on the issue of price rise.

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