Click to play videoNew Delhi: The CPI-M's party congress began in Coimbatore on Saturday. The crucial meeting comes at a time when the Congress led UPA Government is worried about rising prices.
Inflation is at a 13-month high and food items - like dal, wheat, edible oil, fruits and vegetables - have been the worst hit.
So inflation will come as a handy stick for the CPI-M to beat the Congress with ahead of those Assembly and general elections.
An ideal issue to take on the Congress and put in on the defensive and yet the CPI-M, which has provided outside support to the UPA since 2004, remains willing to prop up a Congress-led Government once again. This to keep out the common enemy - the BJP.
But they've had an uneasy relationship since then, though the top CPI-M leadership has told CNN-IBN that it is willing to support the Congress again after the next elections.
However, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat made it clear that the Left allies will not spare the Congress-led UPA Government on the issue of rising prices.
"The UPA has terribly failed on two major issue. One is the rising crisis in the agrarian sector and the other is the rising prices issue. Yesterday the wholesale prices rose up to 6.68 per cent. On foreign policy, we are happy with developing relations between India and China but it's a sad part that many in the ruling establishment believe the US will help us become a major world power. The nuclear deal cannot go forward. Majority in Parliament are against it. We also have to undo the military collaboration agreement," Karat warned.
The Cabinet committee on prices will be meeting on Monday to take stock of rising inflation.
Talking about the price rise Finance Secretary D Subbarao said the spike is due to high global commodity prices and will come down.
“High inflation numbers because of high global commodity prices and prices would come down as developed countries are heading towards a recession,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDA is also preparing to use inflation as a weapon against the UPA.
All NDA chief ministers are meeting L K Advani in Delhi on Saturday to plan out their strategy to attack the Congress led alliance on the issue of rising prices.
The UPA has said that inflation is partly due to hoarding by traders at the state level and the Government at the Centre can do little about it.
The NDA wants to counter this and put the blame on the Centre instead.
The NDA is also planning massive agitations on the issue in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.
"We will be launching nationwide rallies protesting against price rise and for farmers who are nto beneficiaries of the loan waiver," BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
