Gadkari slams Pawar for rising prices

.....

"I don't know if he (Pawar) is minister of consumer affairs or he is a cricket minister," Gadkari said while addressing a rally here to protest the rise in food prices.

Hundreds of party supporters, some wearing Bt Brinjal garlands in a sign of protest, joined the demonstration at Jantar Mantar, an observatory Jaipur Maharaja Jai Singh II built in 1725, which stands close to posh commercial district of Connaught Place in New Delhi.

Gadkari accused the government of doing nothing to stop spiralling prices which have hit the common man.

"Our minister is worried more about IPL (Indian Premier League). He cares less about rising prices," he said in his first public appearance in the capital.

He was equally harsh on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "an economist who has failed in managing economy of the country".

"The prime minister should launch a new department for cricket and make Pawar the minister," he said, days after Pawar met Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray to urge him not to oppose the participation of Australian cricketers in the forthcoming Twenty20 IPL matches.

Using cricket analogy to highlight the escalating prices of food items, the BJP chief in a sarcastic remark said, "Sugar has hit a half century and 'dal' (pulses) has crossed the century mark. They will beat Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Dhoni in scoring."

He was referring to the prices of sugar sold at Rs.50 per kg and dal at Rs.100.

He alleged that the government's "wrong" economic policies were responsible for uncontrollable prices of essential commodities.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ananth Kumar and Vijay Goel were among other prominent party leaders who joined the rally.

Swaraj alleged that the government was incompetent to handle the issues concerning the common man.

"Manmohan Singh must be patting his back for the achievement every time the prices go up," she said.

BJP supporters in large numbers carried party flags and posters highlighting the government's alleged apathy towards the prices issue.

Amid cries like "Sugar is no longer sweet", they raised slogans against Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Pawar.

"Prices of everything are shooting up unabated. Ministers are involved in this scam. The prime minister, Sonia and Pawar are involved. We have to expose this," party general secretary Ananth Kumar said in his address to the rally.

The protest, which comes as the government is planning a hike in petrol prices, is part of the BJP's nationwide agitation against price rise.

Gadkari is planning a three-tier protest against rising prices, at block, district and state levels.