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03.08.2010
*SHRI PRASANTA KUMAR MAJUMDAR (BALURGHAT): Hon. Chairman
Sir, we are the member of the Opposition who ask for a discussion on price rise
everytime the sufferings of the common people of the country increase. This time
it was seen that even the treasury benches were ready for a discussion on this issue.
So my question is why then four days were wasted? Huge amount of money was
also wasted due to disruption of the session. We belong to smaller political parties
and want to speak elaborately on all issues but were deprived of that opportunity.
Who was responsible for this? It should be pondered over. If the issue is of
national importance, if the countrymen are in trouble then there must not be any
ego clash. We should not have quarrelled over the rules under which discussion
was to take place. The Government is in majority; so it should not have feared the
rules which entailed voting. Precious time could have been saved thus. I am very
sorry to say that Hon. Prime Minister of India, Hon. Finance Minister and Hon.
Minister for food had declared in this august House that prices of commodities
would come down gradually. But what is the reality? The reality is that instead of
coming down, the prices are rising everyday. Inflation of food products has risen
from 12% to 18%.
I am a new member of this House. So I wonder that if promises are broken
like this, whether people will have faith in the ruling party any longer. What will
happen to the credibility of this exalted House? Everything that occurs in this
legislature is exposed by the media – the newspapers and televisions. People
know what is happening here. We should always keep this in mind.
For the last 2 years, prices of almost all commodities have been shooting
through the roof. Particularly prices of foodgrains, vegetables, rice, wheat, edible
oil salt etc. have actually skyrocketed. Go to any market of Delhi. You need to
*English translation of the speech originally delivered in Bengali.
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