Why is Sonia silent on price rise: Gadkari

BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Friday questioned the silence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the issue of price rise and accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being sympathetic to oil companies thus turning a blind eye towards the suffering of the common man,whose cause the Congress always claim to champion.

The BJP chief sought to keep the price rise pot boiling in the run-up to the Bharat bandh on July 5 called by almost all opposition parties. He called the decision to deregulate petrol prices an ill-timed one given the fact that inflation was hovering around 13 per cent.

The Prime Minister is bothered about the concern of oil companies and not about the suffering of the common man, he said. Gadkari wondered why Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and young general secretary Rahul Gandhi were silent on the issue of inflation. They make observations on various issues. But I do not understand why they are silent on price rise, he said.

The Prime Minister,who is a noted economist,has failed to bring the prices down. He should give an explanation to the nation, he said.