Bhopal, Aug 27 (PTI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday hit out at Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya over his “insensitive” statement on the rise in sugar prices, saying it was akin to rubbing salt in the wound and showed the true face of the BJP.
Vijayvargiya said on Wednesday that sugar should become very expensive, and suggested that elderly people and those above 40 years of age should completely stop consuming the sweetener.
He also said that 90 percent of people do not like sweets these days and he himself stays away from such food items.
In a statement, CPI (M) state secretary Jaswinder Singh said, “The rise in sugar prices during the festival of Rakhi and Kailash Vijayvargiya’s statement on this issue both hurt the sentiments of the people and adds salt to their injuries.” Singh said Vijayvargiya, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, is also the government spokesperson, and therefore, this should not be considered a personal comment, but rather an official statement of the BJP government led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Neither the chief minister nor any other BJP leader has even refuted Vijayvargiya’s statement so far, according to him.
Accusing the BJP of exploiting religious and majority sentiments to fuel communal polarisation, the CPI (M) leader said Vijayvargiya’s “insensitive remarks have exposed the BJP’s true face”.
“Vijayvargiya’s statement has made it even clearer that the BJP government has no concern for the public and is close to black marketeers and speculators,” he said.
Opposition parties have been targeting the Centre over increased ethanol blending in petrol, alleging that the policy was pushing up sugar prices and imposing an additional financial burden on people.
The government has, however, rejected the claims and instead blamed the industry for jacking up prices despite the country having sufficient stock to meet domestic demand. PTI MAS NP
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