Mayawati, Naveen Patnaik slam Sonia Gandhi for inflation remark

Chief ministers of two non-Congress ruled states today attacked Sonia Gandhi for her statement that state governments could not escape the blame for inflation.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said states were only following the national policy while her Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik asked the Centre to stop the "blame game" on inflation.

Addressing the AICC meeting in New Delhi, Gandhi said that states easily take credit for the schemes which are formulated and funded by Centre but when it comes to inflation, they blame the Centre.

"I want to emphasise that if checking price rise is responsibility of the Centre, states are equally responsible for the same," the UPA chairperson said.

Talking to reporters in Lucknow, Mayawati said that when a policy regarding prices of foodgrains or in fact any other items is chalked out at the national level it is not done by the states.

"For any price rise, government at the Centre is completely responsible...Whatever are the economic policies of the Centre, they are not pro-unemployed or pro-poor, they are framed keeping in mind the capitalists which leads to price rise," she alleged.

Patnaik, who returned to the state after a tour to the national capital, said that price hike was a national phenomenon affecting the entire country including poor states like Orissa.

"So primarily the central government is responsible for the price rise of essential commodities," he told newsmen in Bhubaneshwar.

Patnaik said there was no point in such blame game which is incorrect.

"Blame game has no place specially when the common man was suffering 'very badly' because of the price rise."

During her address, Gandhi also said that the galloping stock market and rising investments do not convey the real problems that common people face in day-to-day lives as inflation continues to be a "challenge".

The Congress chief asked party cadres to put pressure on state governments to take action stern action against black-marketers, hoarders and speculators.

Inflation inched up to 8.62% in September, while the food inflation was 13.75% for the week ended October 16.