New Delhi:The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) today(Feb15,2007) blamed the 'wrong policies' and 'mismanagement' of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh's government for the steep rise in the prices of essentialcommodities.

Taking a strong exception to the Congress-led government'sclaim about GDP growth, the CPI-M, which along with three other partners lendscrucial outside support to the ruling coalition, alleged that it was facing"the anger and discontent of the people due to price rise.

"The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government issquarely responsible for the present state of affairs. In the middle of lastyear, the government claimed that the price rise was seasonal," the CPI-Msaid in the editorial of the party weekly 'People's Democracy.'

"The wrong policies of the government and mismanagementhas led to shortages of supply and price rise of many commodities," thearticle said.

The communists alleged that the government failed to bringdown the prices of sugar despite a fall in its international price. "Thefiasco of wheat imports last year underlined the failure to procure adequateamounts of wheat from farmers because private players are being allowed tocorner stocks," the party said.

"Mesmerised by its own talk of having achieved ninepercent growth in GDP, the UPA Government is now facing the anger anddiscontent of the people due to price rise," it said adding that the pricerise would have an adverse effect on the fortunes of the ruling party in theongoing state assembly elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand.

"The diehard neo-liberal policy makers in the UPA Government will have to come to grips with reality soon," the editorialsaid.

The article also said the previous National DemocraticAlliance (NDA) Government's decision in 2003 to lift all restrictions onfutures trading in agricultural commodities was a major reason for the pricerise.

"The government should immediately put curbs on thefutures trading of essential commodities. It must reduce the prices of petroland diesel further; it should revise the ad-valorem duty structure on petroleumproducts.

"It must take necessary measures to boost food grainproduction and ensure adequate procurement. It has to take urgent steps tostrengthen and expand the public distribution system. It has to tighten up theEssential Commodities Act and crack down on hoarding with a firm hand. This isthe least that people expect to be done to protect their livelihood andrights," the editorial urged.