| INDIARIGHT.ORG |
Indiaright.org is owned, managed and edited by the Centre for National Renaissance (CNR). The CNR has been founded by the Naveen Hindustan Foundation. [ read ] |
| RIGHTWING IDEOLOGY |
The three strands of any Rightwing ideology in the West are: open society, free economy, and limited government. [ read ] |
 |
 |
 | Inflation rattles UPA Govt Our Correspondent That the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is united in name only was never in doubt. No ideology holds the ruling coalition together; even its functioning is extremely chaotic and confusing, and it is becoming increasingly evident. Consider its response to inflation. Science & Technology Minister Kapil Sibal accepted the limits of state intervention and said the Government does not have any "magic wand" to check the soaring prices. And yet, his Government takes one quixotic measure after the other to fight inflation. Finance Minister P Chidamabaram accuses the steel and cements industries in Parliament of having formed cartels. "If their (steel and cement manufacturers') behaviour does not change, the Government will not hesitate to take tough measures," Chidambaram said while intervening in the debate on rising prices in the Lok Sabha. "The cement and steel manufacturers are behaving like a cartel... And we have to break this logjam." The next day, a junior minister ruled out the existence of any steel cartels! "The steel prices are determined by market forces, such as demand and supply and international prices... However, no evidence on cartelization by steel companies in determining steel prices has been brought to the notice of the ministry of steel," Minister of State for Steel Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha. Further, Prasada denied any move to set up a regulator to contain the prices of steel. "At present, the Government has no formal proposal for setting up a regulatory authority to contain the steel prices in the country." It is true that written replies for Parliamentary questions are prepared days ahead, but in a few days' time industry cartels cannot come into being. And if they do, it is incumbent upon the Government to recall the answers it could have withdrawn the written answers. For anything said, or deemed said, on the floor of either House of Parliament is sacrosanct. Apparently, either the Finance Minister misinformed Parliament or the Minister of State for Steel did. Does the Government have any explanation? But forget about explanation, our political masters do not seem have not even noticed the goof-up. The day, his junior minister denied the existence of a steel cartel, Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said simultaneous price hikes by private players indicated a concerted move on their part. "Essar, Jindal and Ispat raised their prices by Rs 5,000 from midnight on the same day. As you are different Companies, with different costs of production? How can rates be enhanced at the same point of time? This hints towards a concerted move." Is there any method in the chaos called UPA? Posted on : 4/18/2008 Mail this article to your friend |