Price rise: PM says stir wont help,to meet CMs today

While the Left-parties plan jail bharo agitation on price rise across the country,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet the standing core group of chief ministers....

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While the Left-parties plan jail bharo agitation on price rise across the country,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet the standing core group of chief ministers,including Left-ruled West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,to discuss a long-term strategy to deal with rising prices.

I would like to discuss (issue of price rise) with the chief ministers, Singh told reporters at Rashtrapati Bhawan after presentation of the Padma awards.

Taking a swipe at the Lefts planned agitation,Singh sought cooperation from across the political spectrum to deal with price rise. I dont think this problem can be solved by agitational tactics. I would like political parties to pool their wisdom,knowledge and experience to evolve practical and pragmatic solution to the problem, he said.

The standing core group,which includes chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh,Assam,Bihar,Chhattisgarh,Gujarat,Haryana,Maharashtra,Punjab,Tamil Nadu and West Bengal besides Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar,will be meeting on Thursday at 7 Race Course Road for the first time after being constituted in early February.

While the Finance Minister heads the core group,the meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister himself.

Sources said the government might use the meeting to get the chief ministers opinion on the proposed Food Security Bill to improve the draft legislation and avoid objections from state governments later.

The meeting is likely to discuss strategy to raise agricultural production,better implementation of the Essential Commodities Act and ensure effective delivery of foodgrains to the poor,measures to reduce the enormous gap between farmgate and retail prices.