The Assam unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday appealed to chief minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma to “discuss and address” the issue of spiralling prices or else “it will be difficult to run the government for long”.
Addressing the media on the issue of price rise in Guwahati, AAP state joint coordinator Kamal Kumar Medhi said: "We have talked about Assam’s Bihu record… Let us now talk about rising prices, which is a key issue for the common man. We appeal to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to discuss and address the issue of price rise or else it will be difficult to run the government for long.”
The record Medhi was talking about was the one created by Assam for the largest Bihu dance involving 11,304 dancers and drummers. The mega dance, which entered the Guinness World Records on April 13, was repeated before Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 at the Sarusajai Stadium.
Asserting that price rise cannot be brushed aside by indulging in “small talks and controversies”, Medhi said whenever the issue is brought up, the chief minister talks about the government’s Orunodoi Scheme under which each woman gets a financial assistance of Rs 1,400 a month.
"But that is spent on buying LPG cooking gas! What about other items that have to be purchased from a market where the government has no control? People's purchasing power has fallen and so has their income. This issue cannot be ignored. It has to be discussed. Why people are having to pay through their noses? Why the government has no control over the market?” Medhi said.
Targeting Modi, Medhi said before the 2014 general elections price rise was the main issue of the BJP.
"He (Modi) used to say that he will bring the rise in prices during the UPA regime by half. But what happened? Prices are rising, in some cases by double,” the AAP leader said.
The AAP leader listed the prices of fuel and other goods in 2014 and 2023 to drive home his point.
"The price of petrol in 2014 was Rs 71.41 a litre (now it is Rs 97), diesel 56.73 (now Rs 89), a 14kg LPG cylinder used to cost Rs 410 (now Rs 1,152),” he said.
Medhi added: "Similarly, the day Modi took charge as the Prime Minister in 2014, the price of aata was Rs 21 a kg (now it is Rs 56), arhar dal Rs 75 (now Rs 125), mustard oil Rs 90 a litre (now Rs 225), masur dal Rs 70 a kg (now Rs 84) and milk (Purabi brand) Rs 30 a litre (now Rs 66).”