NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta today accused the AAP government of failing to take steps to curb rise in prices of food items, medicines as well as power and water tariff in the city.
Alleging that people of Delhi were suffering due to the AAP government's failure to check rising prices, he demanded that a special task force of ministers and bureaucrats be constituted to curb inflation in a timely manner.
He further accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his cabinet and AAP MLAs of being "busy saving their errant ministers and MLAs".
"This government has nothing to do with issues of public good. It has formulated a strategy to blame the central government for all its failures and shortcomings from the very beginning. As a consequence, instead of working in bonhomie with the central government it is looking for reasons to come in direct confrontation with the Centre," he alleged.
"They are well aware of the fact that the 50 promises they made before the elections, based on which the public voted for them, are impossible to fulfill. Therefore, to save face it is deflecting attention from the core issues of public interest," he contended in a statement.
On the issue of rising prices, Gupta said, "On one hand the Delhi government cannot stop blowing its own trumpet of completing 100 days, while on the other hand, the people of Delhi are reeling under pressure of inflation, increase in the power and water tariff and fundamental problems in the city.
"The prices of food items, medicines, school fees, clothing items, cosmetics, stationery, medical tests, construction items and so on are touching sky high," he said.
Gupta said, "Till now, Kejriwal government has failed to take any concrete steps to relieve the common masses from the burden of the rising prices."
The BJP leader claimed that as per a survey, "in the past 30 days, the price of pulses has escalated by 50 to 70 per cent, of oils by 35 per cent and of tea, sugar, wheat, rice, and spices by 30 to 35 per cent."
"Similarly, cost of stationary and books has gone up by 20 per cent, clothing items by 30 per cent, cosmetics by 20 per cent and construction items by 20 to 30 per cent."
Gupta said Kejriwal "should take stringent measures to put an end to the black marketing of wheat, pulses, oils and other food items."
"The government must take strict action against those involved in hoarding of essential food materials and confiscate the material being hoarded in godowns to bring down the prices," he said.