UPA Govt should step down on price issue: Venkaiah

Madurai, Jun 7 (UNI) Describing the rise in prices as 'economic terror,' Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M Venkaiah Naidu today asked the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre to step down for its failure to check the spiralling prices of essential commodities and face elections.

Addressing the press here, Mr Naidu said, ''If they do not know how to rule, they should get out and face the people.'' ''The Congress Government was clueless about why the prices were soaring in the recent past. Instead it criticised the Opposition for their failures.'' Blaming Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram for the present economic crisis, the BJP leader condemned him for criticising the BJP's national executive committee resolution which faulted the government for mishandling the economic crisis.

''Mr Chidambaram should accept his failures to check the price and own moral responsibility by resigning from his post, instead of criticising the BJP,'' he said.

On Mr Chidambaram seeking suggestions from the Opposition to control price hike, he said the UPA government had failed to accept the suggestions of the BJP on POTA, Terrorism, Indo-US Nuclear Deal and other issues.

The government also failed to heed the alternative suggestions put forth by its close ally CPM on controlling the fuel prices.

Then, how do they expect BJP to come up with suggestions now? he asked.

On the Gujjar issue, he said, ''it is not a national issue. It is an issue of the people of a community for which the state government is taking efforts to find a solution.'' To a query on the row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over Hogenekkal Drinking Water Project, he hoped the issue would be settled amicably between the two states.

UNI GSM RR RAI2233