gÉÉŌ A.]ÉŌ. xÉÉxÉÉ

03.08.2010
what is happening to the salaried Government employees, who probably are about
3-3.5 per cent of the population of this country. But once the report is out, the
common man again, who has no fixed income, is strapped and is pounded down
by the rising prices. The Federal Government here has consistently blamed the
State Governments for not controlling the prices. But all of us here are aware that
except for some disciplinary moves, some raids and some little control here and
there, prices actually depend a lot on economic policies, on economic discipline.
But unfortunately the Federal Government has completely ignored its own
responsibilities and is trying to pass the buck to the State Governments, hoping
that this will save its skin by this sort of an excuse.
I may be criticized, but I am willing to admit that as a stand-alone case, just
the increase in the petroleum prices is not the sole cause for all round rise in prices.
Your faulty taxation practices, as was briefly mentioned by the Leader of the
Opposition, have gone into the inflationary machine to increase its price. It has
become fatter; the rise in the prices of petroleum products has definitely further
fuelled this increase in prices. But on the other hand, the wrong policies being
pursued since the 1990s until today, and I am not depriving the credit from either
side – the side that represents the shopkeepers or the side that supports
multinationals and businessmen.
Both sides are today equally responsible for the plight that India is in.
One example that I would like to state here, this Government in just one year, 365
days, has actively helped in decreasing, by a whooping 8 per cent, the amount of
land under cultivation in India; from 680.9900,000 hectares in 2008-09 to
626.4700,000 hectares in 2009-10. This is a sad case and we are all aware that
today when we go to our constituencies we do not see the youth of this country
being interested in agriculture. The youth want to move to cities. Given a chance
they would probably move to Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore but they do not wish to
live in villages. What is the reason? Have we ever tried to find out the reason?
You talk about nuclear power, SEZ, seat in the UN, India becoming a world power,
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