MP Minister slams Centre for price hike

Bhopal, Aug 30 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Minister for Energy, Public Works and Information Technology Kailash Vijayvargiya today squarely blamed the Centre for spiralling prices and inflation while alleging that inflation was ''fake'' and Centre-sponsored.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Vijayvargiya said that it was a matter of concern that despite three economists at the Centre -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia -- the United Progressive Alliance regime miserably failed to control inflation.

Slamming Dr Singh, the Minister said, ''he is the only Prime Minister who publicly stated that he was unable to control the price hike. This is unfortunate for the people of our country.'' Mr Vijayvargiya quoted Dr Chidambaram as saying that inflation was related to rise of oil price in the international market but oil price had come down by 35 per cent yet there was no reprieve of inflationary pressure.

He alleged that the Centre was non-serious about the price hike that was being created to benefit a handful of people.

Mr Vijayvargiya said that the state's power crisis was courtesy the faulty policy of the predecessor Congress regime and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry S Jairam Ramesh admitted this during his visit to the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited here.

''The Congress is indulging in propaganda about the electricity crisis and it is a conspiracy to defame the state government,'' he alleged.

To a question, he said that a distribution system for 8,000 MW was in place and the power crisis would be resolved soon.

The Minister claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party would return to power in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan would again become Chief Minister and in the coming Assembly polls it would be people versus the Congress.

''The Congress is not projecting its chief ministerial nominee as there is no suitable person in that party,'' he felt.

With the launching of 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' Mr Chouhan emerged as as the true leader of the people, he had thus far covered 335 km and contacted about ten lakh people from all walks of life, the Minister claimed.

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