New Delhi, August 3
Frequent sparring between the Opposition and Treasury benches marked the much-awaited price rise debate, which saw over 50 speakers as the Lok Sabha sat beyond 9 pm to discuss how “inflationary pressures” (as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee likes to put it) had dug holes into poor people’s already-tattered pockets.

Given the government’s insistence that price rise be called “inflationary pressure”, it was natural for Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj to hit out at this point while she led the charge on the issue against UPA-II. In her acerbic hour-long remarks, which had Pranab on the edge, Sushma invoked the anguish of common man to tell Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and FM that people better understood the language of “mehngai” (price rise), which was backbreaking.

As the PM heard her in rapt attention, barely giving away his mind and Pranab in anxiety fidgeting with his fingers, Sushma accused the government of cheating the “aam aadmi” who elected it for a second term. “The victory should have humbled you but you are an insensitive, deceitful government, which didn’t raise fuel prices in an election year when international oil prices were 134 dollar a barrel. Today when prices are 74 dollar a barrel, you have raised the prices of petrol, diesel, even kerosene and LPG. Today you face no elections,” she said, attracting applause from colleagues and attacks from Congressmen, who often interrupted her.

Yesterday, when the government and opposition were working on price rise resolution, Pranab had asked the leaders what immediate steps could the government take to curb inflation. Sushma had some answers today, as she dared the FM to “immediately” evolve a revenue neutral regime and settle for a flat rate (instead of tax percentage) on custom duty on imported oil to save consumers from a double whammy. She said the Government must set an example before asking states to reduce fuel taxes. Sushma’s long intervention -- where she called the government’s bluff on oil PSU losses, accused it of letting food grains rot but not giving them to states to feed the hungry, questioned the poor’s ability to bear “small increases” (in petroleum minister’s words) in prices when they earned Rs 20 a day -- flustered the Treasury, with the FM reacting to her, even correcting her on the quantum of funds earned from fuel price rise. He reminded Sushma that states got more than he did and asked her to mention the accounts of oil marketing PSUs rather than just talking about oil producers’ profits.

The opposition, however, kept the pressure on, asking the government to wake up from slumber and correct its wrongs. Ammunition later came from JDU’s Sharad Yadav and SP’s Mulayam Singh, who slammed the UPA for misusing CBI. “You can jail me but I will tell the truth,” he said, while Lalu said “wheat was being diverted to make beer”, with everyone wondering if beer was made of wheat.

For the Congress, MP Sandeep Dixit put up a strong defence, talking of how financial reforms were tough but necessary so that the generations to come did not find themselves in debt.