Left castigates Govt for ‘failure’ to check prices

The left parties continued their criticism of the UPA Govt with the latest being their economic policy or rather the lack of it.

The Left parties lashed out at the UPA government for its “failure” to check rising prices saying it stood helpless before the “monster of market forces” which was responsible for this situation.

“The government stands helpless before the monster of market forces,” CPI National Secretary D Raja said here. He was joined by CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury who said the Left would go to the people if the government did not take “relevant steps” to control inflation.

Reacting to Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal’s statement terming the inflation as a global phenomenon, Raja said “this is a very callous attitude. The government should have anticipated the situation and taken adequate long and short term measures suggested by the Left parties much earlier”.

Sibal had said that the government did not have a “magic wand” to bring down inflation, which was a global phenomenon. Yechury said the Left parties had sent detailed notes to the government on controlling prices.

“Of course we shared our concerns (with government) …the point is to make the government take the relevant steps and that is what we wanted them to do and that is what we conveyed to them.” “If they are not heeding, then we will go to the people,” he said.