Cong slams govt over rising onion prices, demands crackdown on hoarders

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate questioned the Modi government over the rising onion prices and demanded that it should take strict action against middlemen and hoarders, and find a permanent solution to the problem instead of a "quick fix".

New Delhi:The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over the rising onion prices and demanded that it should take strict action against middlemen and hoarders, and find a permanent solution to the problem instead of a "quick fix".

The opposition party alleged that the government was giving "patronage" to hoarders which have sent onion prices "skyrocketing".

The retail price of onions has risen by 45 per cent in the last one week to Rs 80 per kg in the national capital despite the central government's measures to boost supply and contain price rise. The rates stood at Rs 55/kg on October 1, as per the official data.

"A recent study by Consortium of Indian farmers association has said that it does not supply constraints but hoarding by middlemen that's responsible for the soaring onion prices. We urge the government to find a permanent solution instead of a quick fix," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told reporters.

Asked about government's plans to import onion, she said, "In principle, I think the government has had to resort to this because they have not been able to pick the real issue which is hoarding and not a supply constraint."

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"My basic contention was that the price of onion has crossed Rs 100 per Kg not because of supply constraint, not because of erratic monsoon, but, because of hoarding and the government has to crack down on that," Shrinate said.

As per the official data, there has been an almost three-fold jump in onion prices from the year-ago period. Onions were sold at Rs 30-35/kg in retail markets in November 2018.

Not only in Delhi, onion prices are soaring in most of the consuming areas across the country.

As the Supreme Court has asked the Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh government to immediately stop their farmers from stubble burning and even warned the entire administration over this matter, Congress spokesperson stated that "all the parties should put aside their politics over the matter of air pollution and find some solution to this problem. It implies to Punjab government as well which has been formed by our party."

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