In her maiden speech as the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj on Thursday tore into the UPA government on the price rise issue, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the ?scams? that she said had resulted in ?galloping prices of essential food items like wheat, rice, pulses and sugar?.
Reminding the government that the Opposition had forced it to hold a structured debate on price rise ?for the ninth time in the last five years??as opposed to one debate on price rise during the six years of the NDA regime?she called Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar ?chini samrat? .
BJP Parliamentary Party chairman LK Advani was seen profusely congratulating his successor in the Lower House after Sushma had finished her maiden speech, lasting for a little over an hour, with an exhortation to the UPA government to ?think in terms of Gross National Happiness, instead of mere growth figures?.
?We demand a JPC to enquire into the scams in four areas (wheat, rice, pulses, and sugar). This is a maha ghotala (mega scam),? said the BJP leader.
The leader of Opposition made light of the assurances on food security that the government had listed in the President?s speeches ( Aap mahamhim rashtrapati ke muh se asatya bhashan kyon karvate hain? ?). Referring to the President?s address?which mentioned the decline in food production, rise in global prices, hike in support prices to farmers and increase in income in rural areas as reasons for price rise?Sushma said: ?The actual reasons are scams in wheat, rice, pulses and sugar and all these items are consumed by the vast majority of the poor.?