NEW DELHI, May 10;
Raising the issue of food inflation that has increased manifold in the last one decade under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule at the Centre, the Aam Aadmi Party today said the rise in prices of essential food items has pushed 85 crore people to hunger who have to make do with 5 kg of foodgrains given by the government.
Addressing media persons here today, AAP senior leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Surabh Bharadwaj said before the 2014 elections, when Bharatiya Janata Party sought votes in the country, this was their biggest issue: ‘Bahut hui mehangai ki maar, Abki baar Modi Sarkar’ (Enough of inflation, this time Modi government). And I think it is very important that when the general elections are going on in the country, elections have been held on almost half the seats, elections are to be held on half the seats, an assessment should be made that what was the impact on inflation during the 10 years when the Bharatiya Janata Party government was in power. The food inflation for March 2024 was about 8.5%, he added.
The senior AAP leader said in 2014, India was at number 99 among 125 countries in the world on the hunger index and now in 2023, India has fallen by 12 positions, now we come at number 111 among 125 countries. That means the situation has gone from bad to worse since then. There are many countries where inflation increases but people’s income also increases, so people do not face hunger, he added.
Drawing a comparison of inflation for 10 years between 2011-12 and 2022, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said in 2011-12, the average monthly expenditure in rural areas was Rs 1430, which has increased to Rs 3773 in 10 years by 2022-23, that is, about 2.68 times more. The average monthly expenditure in the urban areas has increased from Rs 2630 to Rs 6459, that is, within this also the expenditure has increased by 2.45 times, almost two and a half times. But the per capita income of urban and rural combined has increased from Rs 5050 to Rs 8197, that is, only 1.6 times. So, it is obvious that when your expenses increase and your income does not increase, then hunger will spread among the people. That is why the Prime Minister says that 85 crore people have to be given 5 kg of foodgrains because you have increased inflation in the country so much that people are dying of hunger. You have to give 5 kg of foodgrains to everyone because you have finished employment, you have brought businesses to an end, you have finished government jobs, you have ended small scale industries with demonetization and then with GST. You did not have any policy, due to which inflation increased.
Giving details of the price rise in essential food items over the last 10 years, the senior AAP leader said Arhar dal used to cost ₹ 70 per kg in 2014, now its price is around ₹ 154. Urad dal used to cost Rs 67 per kg, it increased to Rs 124 per kg in 2024, rice price increased from Rs 27 per kg to Rs 44 per kg, wheat price increased from Rs 21 to around Rs 30 per kg. Milk used to be sold at ₹36 a litre when their government came in 2014, now it is around ₹59 a litre; potato price has increased from ₹18 to ₹28. The selling price of has jumped by about 48% this month; the price of onion has increased by 41%. The price of tomato has increased by 40% at present and in July 2023, tomato was sold for Rs 250 per kg. The McDonald’s had removed tomato from its Vegetarian Veggie Delight. They had declared then that they would not be able to serve tomatoes in burgers and wraps. In July 2023, the inflation was so high that during the rainy season, ginger and green chillies had reached ₹ 400 kg.
Taking a jibe at the Finance Minister, who had said that she did not eat garlic when the price of garlic had skyrocketed, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “And if you ask the Finance Minister, she will say: ‘I don’t even eat ginger, why do you eat ginger, green chillies, tomatoes’.”
The senior AAP leader said in July 2023, the price of cumin had gone up to Rs 800 per kg and in April 2022, lemon price had reached ₹ 200 kg, green coriander was being sold at ₹ 100 kg, green chilli price was ₹ 160 kg and cabbage was sold at ₹ 80 kg. I understand that you all must be thinking that they (AAP) used to talk about crores, now he is talking about ladyfinger and green chillies. But whatever Modi ji is saying that crores of rupees have been given in big tempos, there will be no investigation about it. At least, there should be an investigation as to why green chillies, milk have become so expensive.
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said broadly speaking, it is clear from the data that if the prices of vegetables, pulses, wheat and rice are increasing then there could be two reasons. Firstly, we are now paying higher prices to farmers, that is why inflation is increasing. So at least it is that if the pockets of the consumers are getting burdened, then the producer class (farmer) is getting more money in their pockets. Or it could be that the money is going to middlemen. I gave you details of the increase in income and expenditure in 11 years. The farmer’s income did not increase. I told you that income has increased by 1.6 times and expenses have increased by 2.6 times. So, this means that the money that is being earned due to the rise in prices of these commodities is not going to the farmers, it is going to the middlemen. The government data shows that expenditure in the rural economy has increased but its per capita income has not increased.
He said while the per capita income did not increase, the expenditure increased. This means that this money has also gone into the pockets of big capitalists, and hunger has increased a lot in the country which is a matter of great concern for the country, concluded Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj.
