Govt To Crack Down On Hoarders

To demonstrate its commitment to public cause and with an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections, the BJP has recommended that the Central government should ensure crackdown on hoarders to check increase in prices of essential commodities.

The party has concluded that 60-70 per cent of the increase in recent days has been due to hoarders and middlemen, who appropriate the profits instead of passing them on to farmers.

BJP leaders are worried that a right message has to go to the masses, particularly as the party has to face crucial assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi towards the end of this year.

 

These leaders want to disprove criticism that the Vajpayee government was not acting tough against the traders and hoarders, as they constitute the core of the BJP's support base.

The elections are also going to be a verdict of the functioning of the Central government. These leaders are worried that the Congress and other opposition parties might take up the issue of price hike during the elections.

The party has concluded that the government should at least announce some immediate steps to control prices, a BJP office-bearer said. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee recently said in a BJP parliamentary party meeting that the government would take all steps to control prices.

Among other steps to contain the increase, the party has suggested to the government to suspend exports of some of the vegetable items which are not easily available in the market and to take measures to control the growth of money supply.

Though not many edible items are exported, the party holds that an announcement about suspending such exports would demonstrate the government's seriousness about handling issues concerning the common man.