Whither achhe din, Sena raps ally BJP

Rapping ally BJP, the Shiv Sena on Thursday said while former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was easily blamed for inflation during UPA rule, the present governments in the state and at the Centre have also failed to check the rising prices of essential commodities even after one year.

Coming down heavily on its senior alliance partner, the Sena sought to know whether the people voted the BJP to power at the Centre and in Maharashtra to continue grappling with high inflation. "Did the people vote the new government to power in Maharashtra and at the Centre to let the monster called inflation sit on people's chests and continue to wreak havoc? Will the prices of essential commodities continue to increase? What the about the economy of the country?" the Sena asked in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The Maharashtra government has increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, which will in turn raise transport costs, and ultimately further increase the prices of foodstuffs, it said. "It was easy to blame inflation on then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while the UPA government was in power. It had become a hobby for people to make fun of Manmohan Singh. But now the government has changed. One year has passed, but the new government has failed to use its magic wand and ward off inflation," the junior alliance partner said.

It is the second time in recent days that the Sena has virtually defended Manmohan Singh. It had earlier said that the contributions of P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh towards bolstering India's economy can't be forgotten. "Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is immensely popular in foreign countries, people like Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of India's economic progress and opened the country's gates for other nations. How can we forget their contribution?" the Sena had said in 'Saamana' last month.

With Maharashtra already reeling under severe drought, the high inflation is further distressing the people of the state, the Sena rued. "It will soon be one year of the new government in power (in Maharashtra). People voted for a change to experience happiness, deflated costs of foodstuffs and for 'acche din' (good days). But, high prices have raised the worries of the people," the editorial said.