Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, the BJP is once again trying to get all non-Congress and non-United Progressive Alliance parties on a single platform against price rise.
On July 1, the party plans to observe an “anti-price rise day” throughout the country, with its central leaders bound for major State capitals and cities to address rallies. The protests are to continue the next day, culminating in submission of a memorandum carrying signatures to the President ahead of the session.
Party general secretary Ananth Kumar said not only the government, but the National Advisory Council, led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, too had agreed on the decision to hike the prices of petroleum products, knowing fully well this would add to the present unacceptable double-digit inflation figure.
“Sonia Gandhi is answerable, she must be held accountable” for the misery being inflicted on the common man, he said.
Mr. Kumar confirmed that Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav had spoken to BJP president Nitin Gadkari on the possibility of an all India “bandh,” supported by all Opposition parties. The BJP would have no problem with this. “We are open minded,” but “phoney Opposition parties” like the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal that had declined to support the cut motion on prices at the end of the Budget session should not be included in the exercise. They must first decide which side they were on and clarify their stand publicly, Mr. Kumar said.
Mr. Gadkari and Mr. Kumar will lead the party rally in Ratlam, while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will go to Raipur, according to an action plan drawn up by the party. Rallies in at least 15 to 20 towns and cities were planned.
On the question of Mr. Gadkari having once again reiterated that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi would campaign in Bihar for the Assembly elections despite the JD(U) making an issue of it, Mr. Kumar said the party president had stated what he had to and “I have nothing more to add.”
