Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani on Saturday castigated the UPA government for the spiralling prices of essential commodities. He held the faulty policies of the Centre responsible for the sufferings caused to the people due to price rise.
Mr. Advani claimed that the price rise was not linked to global recession but was the result of "unjustified and unnecessary" expenses made by the Centre just before the parliamentary elections, apparently to win votes.
He said the middle class and the poor people were undergoing terrible hardship because of the wrong priorities of the UPA government.
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The BJP leader declined to comment on the Centre's decision on the creation of separate Telangana.
Mr. Advani attended a meeting of the Somnath temple trust here held under the chairmanship of the former Gujarat Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel. Surprisingly, the meeting drafted Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the former Chief Secretary, P.K. Laheri, as members of the trustee board to fill two vacancies.
The move was seen an indication of the two arch enemies - Mr. Patel and Mr. Modi - moving to close ranks and come together. Trust sources said Mr. Advani, considered to be Mr Modi's political mentor, put pressure on Mr. Patel to incorporate the Chief Minister in the temple trust to bring the two further closer to each other.
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The meeting decided to construct a protective wall on the sea coast to protect the Somnath temple from erosion.