<b>Letters:</b> Not the true picture

Before the 2014 parliamentary elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to check prices — especially of essential commodities such as wheat flour, pulses, milk and fuel — within 100 days of coming power. Since the government came to power, it has been focusing on projects such as Digital India, smart cities, Make in India. In all this, prices of commodities have continued to rise.

Retail and wholesale price inflation are up. While retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, increased to 3.65 per cent from 3.2 per cent in January, wholesale price inflation touched a 39-month high of 6.55 per cent.

Cartels and middlemen manipulate prices to their advantage by creating artificial shortages of staple food items like onions, pulses, sugar, edible oils. The government has failed to rein them in. 

Consequently, the number of billionaires is increasing while millions are still deprived of two square meals a day. Nearly three years after being in power, the BJP has not been able to reduce poverty. Booming stock markets and upbeat economic daa do not reflect the true picture of the country.

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