PM should convene meeting of all parties on rising prices of essential commodities, says Congress

The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Modi government over rising prices of essential commodities and demanded that the prime minister "come forward" and convene a meeting of all parties.

The opposition party also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lay a roadmap for tackling inflation.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also accused Modi of indulging in politics of hatred and division, and urged him to focus on the development of the country.

"We demand that the PM should come forward and convene a meeting of all parties and present a roadmap for tackling prices of essential commodities in the next 30 or 60 days," he said.

The spokesperson also questioned the Modi's silence over the "unprecedented" increase in prices of food items, saying this has hit the common man.

Data showed that retail inflation rose to about a five-and-half year high of 7.35 per cent in December 2019, surpassing the RBI's comfort level, mainly due to spiralling prices of vegetables as onions were selling costlier.

"The economic crisis has pushed the economy to the verge of a recession with a record fall in the country's GDP, unemployment levels highest in the last half a century, agrarian distress deepening with rising farmers' suicides, massive closures and lay off in industrial units accompanied by rising prices of petroleum products, cooking gas, vegetables and all essential commodities, is making people's lives more miserable. Modi government has created an economic disaster." said the resolution.

"Instead of addressing these issues and providing relief to the people, soon after assuming office, the BJP has embarked on a dangerous course of sharpening communal polarization and attacking democratic rights and Constitutional guarantees of the people affecting millions of people and marginalized communities," the opposition alleged in the resolution.