The Shiv Sena on Tuesday targeted the BJP-led Central government over onion price rise and the state of economy. It said the current government is not ready to listen to economists.
In the party mouthpiece Saamana, Sena dubbed the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s response to the escalating onion prices as ‘childish’.
“At present, the economy is slowing down. But the government is not ready to accept. The prices of onion have reached Rs 200 per kilogram. The Finance Minister has also given a very childish answer on this issue. She said I do not eat onion-garlic, so do not ask me about onions. It seems the Prime Minister has no desire to resolve this issue.” the party said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week while replying to the Oppposition on onion price rise said in the Lok Sabha, “I don’t eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don’t worry. I come from a family that doesn’t have much to do with onions.”
Sena also came out in defence of the new ally Congress and said, “Pandit Nehru (Jawaharlal Nehru) and Indira Gandhi cannot be held responsible for the apocalyptic destruction of the country’s economy. The present government is not in a mood to listen to the experts. For them, the economy is like a stock market that has become speculative.”
The Sena also further took a swipe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was “not trying” to improve the situation.
“When he was the chief minister of Gujarat, he had expressed concern over the rising onion prices,” the Sena editorial pointed out.
“The situation has changed and Modi is now the Prime Minister and the economy is in a ‘crisis’. An unconscious person is brought back to senses by being made to smell onion, but this is not possible now since onions have disappeared from markets.” the Saamana editorial said.