Ignoring inflation won’t make it go away, P Chidambaram tells Centre

Congress leader P Chidambaram, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pic/PTI

Inflation in the country is being caused by the wrong policies of the Central government and its inept management of the economy, said Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, he demanded that the price of petrol, diesel and LPG be immediately reduced, and import duties reviewed.

"We hold the Centre, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, directly responsible for the high inflation. It is not being caused by rising demand, rather the wrong policies of the government and its inept management of the economy," he said. "The NDA government has continued to pretend that the concern about price rise is a false concern and, if the government ignores the issue, the issue will go away. The Congress party condemns the callous negligence of the government on the issue of price rise," he said, adding, "We demand that import duties be reviewed and reset so prices of essential imported goods. We also demand that GST rates be reduced on an array of goods."

He also quoted the National Statistical Office's press release that pegged the country's consumer price inflation at 6.26 per cent, and said that this level of inflation amid the ongoing pandemic had broken the back of the people. "Will the government please tell the people what they should eat, how they should light their homes, and how they should go to work? Unemployment has risen to 8.1 per cent and Inflation has broken the back of the people," he said.

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