Cong urges Centre to check sugar prices

As sugar prices continue to soar, a defensive Congress party — the leader in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government — today stepped in and urged the central government to check the prices of the commodity for the sake of the common man.

The party also held the states responsible for the current situation, but refused to corner its ally Nationalist Congress Party, led by Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

“It is also the responsibility of the states along with the Centre to control the prices. All states, whether led by our party or others, should act to control the prices and give relief to the common man,” Congress spokesperson Shakil Ahmed said.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) had asked the states as well the Centre to act on the rising prices a few months ago but the prices of essential commodities in open market have not come down.

The Congress today also tried to put up a brave face and argued that because of the insufficient monsoon the food prices were rising. “We had 23 per cent less rainfall this year. Because the production of foodgrain was good in the last few years, the government has been able to save the country from a famine-like situation,” Ahmed said.

The Congress also tried to point out that the Centre had limited power to control prices. “There are some issues which can be controlled by the Centre. But some are out of its hands,” the party spokesperson said.

Alleging that some states were not taking action against the hoarders and black marketeers, Ahmed said: “In Bihar, only two people have been arrested so far by the National Democratic Alliance government. Is the state government trying to say that only two people in the whole state are involved in illegal activities?”