By IANS,
New Delhi: While the central government Wednesday claimed that the prices of sugar and pulses were declining, the opposition contended that the market reality was “different”.
“In the week ending March 25, prices of sugar and pulses have continued to decline in most of the centres where prices are monitored by the department of consumer affairs. Prices of other commodities have generally remained steady at most of the reporting centres,” said the government in a statement here.
According to the ministry of food and consumer affairs, sugar prices have declined at five centres — Delhi, Patna, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.
Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar had said Tuesday that the rise in food prices would ease soon.
Disputing the government’s claim, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the situation is very different in the market.
“They (the government) are claiming that the prices are coming down. But the market reality is different. The market does not match their statement,” BJP spokesman Ramnath Kovind told IANS.
Reacting to the cabinet secretary’s statement, Kovind said: “The bureaucrat should have consulted with the concerned officials in the finance ministry before making such a statement.”
“If the people find that the prices are coming down, there is no need of such statements,” Kovind added.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader in Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia said: “If you compare with last year’s price situation, the prices are much much higher.”
He said the Left parties would hold mass picketing and court arrest across the country April 8 on the issue of price rise.