BJP and BJD competing to push inflation: Niranjan Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: Slamming the BJP government at the Centre for steep increase in rail fare and freight, Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik today demanded immediate roll back of the hike as the country is reeling under severe inflationary pressure.

Accusing BJP of betraying people's trust, the former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president said the increase in rail fare and freight rates would have a cascading effect and drive the economy into an inflationary spiral.

Besides severe inflationary pressure because of rise in prices of onion and potatoes, there was serious apprehension of a further rise in prices of petrol and diesel because of the fluid situation in the entire middle east and particularly Iraq, Patnaik said in a statement.

While campaigning during election BJP had promised they would check inflation, but once they secured the mandate of the people they are talking about "bitter pill", said the former Odisha minister.

In the past, all such economic decisions by the UPA government was termed as "anti-people" and now they have become "necessities for a stronger economy", he said adding people have been cheated by the government.