Priyanka Gandhi Attacks BJP on Onion Prices & Inflation

Indore, Nov 6 (PTI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday attacked the Union government over the rise in prices of onions and other essential commodities and said it tries to control inflation only when elections are round the corner.

She was addressing a rally in Indore-5 Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, where polls will be held on November 17 and votes will be counted on December 3.

"Onion prices have increased before Diwali and housewives are upset over this. The government makes efforts to control inflation only when elections are held. The price of an LPG cylinder rose to Rs 1,400 and two months before the elections, the government reduced its price to Rs 400," said.

Weren't people struggling with inflation earlier, the senior Congress leader asked.

Slamming the economic policies of the Narendra Modi government, she said big industrialists were prospering, while small and medium entrepreneurs who generate employment on a large-scale are languishing.

Despite all the big announcements of the government, the poor were getting poorer, with every section of society hit hard by inflation and unemployment, which was the highest in 45 years, Gandhi said.

"Government posts are lying vacant. According to one figure, the Madhya Pradesh government has given employment to just 21 persons in the last three years. The state's BJP government made 22,000 announcements, but didn't fulfil even 22 of them. It gave jobs to just 21," she alleged.

"When loans worth several thousand crore rupees can be written off for big industrialists, why can't the Old Pension Scheme be brought back for government employees," she questioned.

Gandhi said the Bharatiya Janata Party tries to divert the attention of people during elections by offering a "bouquet of religion, caste and false announcements".

"But after the elections, the voter realizes this bouquet is actually empty," Gandhi said.

Prime Minister Modi's statements advocating the rights of Other Backward Classes were like this "empty bouquet" as the BJP was opposing the demand for a caste census, she claimed.

A caste census, which is one of the promises mentioned in the Congress manifesto for MP polls, will reveal the numerical strength of various communities and will help determine benefits, she added.

Incidentally, Gandhi herself faced an "empty bouquet" situation while she wa being welcomed by party leaders at the rally.

One of the bouquets presented to her by a party functionary comprised only leaves as the flowers had fallen off, with a video of the incident, which evoked a smile from Gandhi, going viral on social media.

"Modi says the Congress is still seeking votes in the name of Indira Gandhi, while he himself refers to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in every speech. In such a situation, is it wrong if I mention Indira Gandhi," she asked.

She also claimed the PM had said the "blood of Congressmen was bad" and mockingly asked when he had opened a pathology lab.

The PM was not making statements in keeping with the dignity of his high office, Gandhi added.

Gandhi said the MP government had come up with its Ladli Behna Yojana just five months ahead of polls, whereas it should have created a safe environment for women in a state where "17 women are raped everyday".

Under the Ladli Behna Yojana, 1.32 crore women are provided assistance of Rs 1,250 per month. It is one of the flagship programmes of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.