Admitting that there has been a “problem of rising prices”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the worst period was now over and expressed hope that the government’s efforts would go to curtail inflation.

The Prime Minister was addressing an election rally in Ambala, his first visit to the state after the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the problem of power in the state, he assured that by 2012, generation from four new power stations would begin in Haryana. “I am trying to convince you, that if we are given a chance again more progress would be made,” Manmohan Singh said after detailing the schemes of the UPA government.

On the issue of rising prices, Singh said, “There has been the problem of rising prices since the last few days. It is primarily due to a combination of three factors — increase in international food prices — poor monsoons and increase brought about in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the government.” He however said the “worst period is over now” and hoped that a good rabi season and government’s efforts to check hoarding and black marketing would eventually curtail inflation.

The Prime Minister received a rather lukewarm reception from the locals who were tired of waiting for Singh who arrived nearly two hours late. Women were largely absent, and the crowd remained rather uninterested, perking up only when Singh mentioned the issue of rising prices.

Some local Congress workers tried to invoke enthusiasm by a sudden burst of sloganeering, which irritated Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who broke away from his speech to say, “Enough. I have seen your enthusiasm now. You better save this energy and zeal for the voting.”

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