Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: The current surge in prices of essential goods, especially food items, has made the common man’s life difficult. If prices of day-to-day items keep rising like this, it’s going to make surviving for common man much more difficult.
This was stated by JKPCC working president, Raman Bhalla while interacting with various deputations at his residence here today. Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that government seems to have done very little in terms of regulating prices. The common poor and lower middle class families are suffering badly. BJP government talks most promisingly about the “common man agenda” when it comes to lapping up votes but fails in times of real crisis. Even restaurants have increased prices of items, making even that once-in-a-while visit a rarity.
Food prices have increased by 20 per cent in the last two months and by 40 per cent compared to last year.The steady rise in prices of food items is a cause for concern. With little resources available, it is becoming difficult for the common man to manage his budget. The way things are run here, it is a case of the poor remaining poor and the rich getting richer.
Bhalla said even the tax laws favour the rich, those in the salaried class suffers the most because they pay high Income Tax and in return get little. Inflation keeps rising every day and vegetable prices are shooting up. Govt is responsible for all this. Have BJP leaders already forgotten their duty towards the people? What happened to all the promises they made during election time? It is high time they delivered what they had promised. Also, petrol and diesel prices have increased. All this stems from the Central government’s inability to curtail prices at the grassroots level.
Cong leader alleged that J&K government was doing nothing to bring down the prices of vegetables and other essential commodities. It is high time the government identified the reasons for such a phenomenal rise in prices of so many items of daily use. The retail market has never been consumer-friendly, it is ready to hike prices at the slightest opportunity.
Bhalla said Government should subsidize prices of indispensable items like rice, dal, sugar and oil and lessen the burden on the common man’s purse. If the prices do not come down, he will be driven to take loans from banks to keep his kitchen fire burning. He claimed alarming rise in prices of essential commodities is causing untold misery to the middle-class due to hoarding by certain elements. The Government has totally failed to control the matter. It seems the government is working hand-in-glove with hoarders and cheating the common people, he alleged.
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