Rotten Tomatoes Season

At the government level, the Cabinet Committee on Prices met twice in three days and announced a series of ameliorative macro-economic measures. Then the Congress's core committee—of which both Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are members—met to assess the political fallout; the Congress Working Committee will also meet shortly. The UPA allies, too, have expressed concern. Rail minister and RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav has called for a UPA meeting on the issue, while PMK supremo S. Ramadoss called for a ban on online trading and checks on "smuggling" of ration rice.

The criticism from the BJP and the Left, expectedly, seeks to make political capital out of this. The BJP went for the jugular, claiming their NDA government's record in maintaining the price line, ensuring large buffer stocks of foodgrains and controlling inflation was infinitely better. The Left blamed it all on the UPA's neo-liberal policies. The CPI(M) has now demanded that PDS be made universal, and that 15 essential commodities (like pulses, edible oil and sugar) be included in its ambit. It has also called for a ban on futures trading in 25 agricultural commodities, restructuring of customs and excise duties on oil, lower retail prices for petrol and diesel, and stringent action against hoarders.

In sync with the CPI(M) on this last demand, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh hit out at the states, especially those under the BJP, for failing to act. "The budget has not levied any new tax or duty on essential commodities. There's no shortage of wheat, pulses, edible oil, sugar. Why are prices going up?" he asked, adding, "State governments have not enforced stock restrictions and cracked down on hoarding."

But the Congress clearly needs to counter the BJP campaign, articulated by party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad as "moving from a food economy of surplus to a food economy of shortages". Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari responded, saying, "We now have adequate buffer stock; there's no question of food scarcity. There's been a larger offtake of foodgrains for the PDS and social schemes. It's the NDA who dismantled the machinery for controlling stocks of essential commodities at the instance of its trading base. We have brought it back, but only six states have so far put back the machinery."

In this war of words—the BJP hits the streets from April 7, and the CPI(M) from April 15—it remains to be seen whether the Congress can get its message across. The pressure is mounting.