Modi slams Centre for soaring inflation

Chhatarpur, MP, Nov 25 (UNI) Slamming the Centre for being unable to check inflation, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said surging prices has hit the poor hardest but the Congress was least bothered about them.

''The Congress is making inquiries about the election expenses of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan but does not discuss about inflation, which has been gifted by the Centre's Congress regime,'' Mr Modi said, while addressing an election meeting here.

Pointing out that inflation had not shot up during the previous Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had no words to express sympathy for poor because they understand it was their gift.

Lavishing praise on Mr Chouhan for making wheat and rice available at cheap price to poor, Mr Modi said this has come as a big relief for poor.

Training guns on the Centre, the BJP leader said the Congress-led regime did not mean development and played vote bank politics to form government. Public has to make choice between development and vote-bank politics.

Referring to terrorism in the country, Mr Modi said, ''When Gujarat police had caught terrorists, it had provided opportunity to the country's police for joint inquiry. Why is the Maharashtra Government not ready for joint inquiry in connection with Malegaon blast?'' He said Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur made a statement on television yesterday that she had been tortured by police but it was surprising that Congress leaders had maintained silence over this.

The Gujarat Chief Minister said development carried out in Gujarat could be replicated here only when Mr Chouhan returned to power.

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