The price rise issue has caused a lot of political unrest, especially in the monsoon session of the Parliament, where several MPs staged a walk-out, and even conducted a 50-hour sit-in protest in front of the Gandhi statue, against the Centre.
Now, just a day ahead of the price rise issue discussion in Lok Sabha, many opposition leaders banded together and slammed the PM Narendra Modi-led central government for the rise in the prices of basic home commodities like wheat, cooking oil, rice, curd and other items.
The Centre, last week, decided to raise the GST on several packaged and branded food items, most of which are the staple food in any basic household’s kitchen. Now, the Opposition has said that the Centre is forcing the common man to “eat raw vegetables” and imposing a “lockdown in the kitchen”.
Congress leader Manish Tewari said, “During the United Progressive Alliance(UPA) regime, 27 crore people were brought above the poverty line. Then it was learnt from a report, which was made public in 2021, that as many as 23 crore people are once again below the poverty line.”
The opposition leader further added, “You have increased the GST on flour, curd, paneer, pencil and sharpener. You did not spare even children.” “The government may have streamlined its own budget, but has completely spoiled the life of country’s 25 crore households…. every homemaker is in tears,” he said.
IUML member ET Mohammed Basheer highlighted the troubles of a common man, “The family budget is collapsing.” Basheer further said, “Kitchen is in turmoil. We had a lockdown during the COVID period, I apprehend now we will have a lockdown in kitchens because of this government’s negative stance.”
Meanwhile, the parties which are a part of the NDA alliance, have backed the rise in GST rates. Kaushlendra Kumar of the JD(U), an NDA constituent, said people in villages were very happy with the initiatives taken by the Modi government, especially during the Covid period.
(With PTI inputs)
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