BJP politicising inflation: Digvijay

Ujjain, May 03: Claiming that price rise in India was low as compared to global circumstances, Congress General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh has said that Bharatiya Janata Party was politicising the issue.

Talking to media persons here, Singh said that price rise was at the zenith in several countries of the world and in comparison to the international market wheat and rice were still very cheap in India. “Congress will soon present data and show that inflation was high during the National Democratic Alliance regime's tenure,” he said, adding NDA government had seized the rights of state governments to take action against hoarders and black-marketeers but United Progressive Alliance government had given those rights. Singh said that state governments had not been using these rights against hoarders and blackmarketeers. Inflation would be curbed within few days if state governments would use it stringently. “No action is taking place against any hoarder in Madhya Pradesh,” Singh added.

Describing the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani as a person who indulged in ‘lying at the drop of a hat’, Singh said ex-premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee was much more reliable in the context of Indian masses. ”Advani can never prove reliable for this country. He praised (Quaid-e-Azam) Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his Pakistan visit and expressed regret for the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya. At 82, Advani's memory has become weak and he needs rest,” Singh added.

Claiming that Advani's statement of being unaware about the release of terrorists during the IC-814 hijack -- despite being the then Union Home Minister -- proved the point, the Congress leader said adding the people trusted Vajpayee to a far greater extent. “Leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad want to take control of this state's mutts and temples by using the BJP regime as a medium. A committee has been formed for drafting a strategy in this regard. The Congress will oppose any such action as mutts, temples, Qurdwaras, churches, mosques and other places of worship should be free from politics,” Singh said.