People's purchasing power has fuelled price rise: Pawar

Aurangabad, February, 8 : Union agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday linked the price rise to the increased purchasing power of people belonging to different strata. This, he said, has led to a shortage of a few articles, thereby pushing up prices.

Pawar was addressing the concluding session of a well-attended state-level convention of NCP workers here on Sunday.

He said production as well as the purchasing power of a majority of the people, including the rural population, had increased. This was a result of the Central government pumping Rs 25,000 crore into the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, giving good prices to farm produce and the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, he said.

Pawar stated that some people may been adversely impacted by the situation. "We are thinking of ways to provide respite to them," he said.

Referring to the uproar over the NCP magazine suggesting that people will not die if they don't eat sugar, Pawar said this was not the party's stand. "Whatever appeared in the magazine was the writer's opinion, not the party's," he added.

Pawar also criticised "greedy elements" for taking advantage of the situation. He pointed out Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit's concern over soaring onion prices in the capital. "When I inquired in Lasalgaon (a major onion market), I was told that the commodity had been shipped to Delhi at a price of Rs 11 per kg. This amounts to looting people and the state governments have to check such elements," he said.

The agriculture minister said that the cold weather which has gripped north India is good for the wheat crop. "We will have a bumper crop," he said.

"When I took over as agriculture minister, we were giving subsidies of Rs 19,000 crore. This figures has now swelled to Rs 60,000 crore as more and more needy and poverty-stricken people are being supplied essentials at subsidised prices. We want to include more people, including adivasis, dalits and minorities, in the below poverty line (BPL) category," Pawar told the gathering.

Pawar went on to advise party workers not to take the criticism levelled against him over the price rise too seriously. Instead, he called upon them to focus on expanding the party base in the state.

Pawar also ridiculed reports about separating Mumbai from Maharashtra. "Some political parties which are devoid of issues are bringing up this matter. There is no such demand from the public," he said.

Earlier, deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal took strong exception to the criticism levelled against Pawar over the price rise issue, including by the Congress.

The party's national general secretaries D P Tripathi and Tariq Anwar, state unit president Madhukar Pichad, women's wing chief Nivedita Mane and minority affairs chief Majeed Memon also spoke on the occasion.