Sonia tells PM to control price rise

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to prime minister Manmohan Singh urging him to ensure that prices of essential commodities are kept under control. She has also asked him to ensure adequate supply of sugar during the festival season.

The PM received Sonia’s missive last week, ahead of the special Congress Working Committee meeting that discussed drought and price rise in the country.

Gandhi has from time to time written to the PM drawing his attention to issues of public importance. Senior party sources said that in last week’s letter Gandhi pointed out that though she was aware of the global situation with regard to the production of sugar, she could not ignore the hardship faced by the poor.

Contrary to reports, the letter is not addressed to Sharad Pawar, Union agriculture minister. Agriculture ministry sources denied knowledge of any such missive from the Congress president.

Senior functionaries in Gandhi’s office as well as in the government point to the fact that she is extremely conscious of sticking to procedure and is not known to breach protocol .“She has never interfered  in the functioning of the government and has no intention of  doing so in future,” said a senior AICC office bearer.

Significantly, in an interaction with DNA a fortnight ago, Pawar had also vouched for the fact that Gandhi had never interfered in the working of his ministry.