People want food, clothing & shelter to be affordable: RSS
New Delhi(PTI): The link between inflation and food prices needs to be given a serious thought, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has said, stressing that people want essentials to be affordable.
He underlined that though the essentials have to be affordable for everyone, farmers should not have to bear the brunt of it.
Hosabale's remarks on Saturday come amid intense attack on the central government by the opposition parties on the issues of rising prices and imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on basic food items such as flour and curd.
The RSS leader was speaking at an international conference on agriculture organised by the RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh along with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Bharatiya Agro Economic Research Centre.
Referring to a presentation made by Amul Managing Director RS Sodhi on the linkage between inflation and food prices, Hosabale said, "The issue of linkage between inflation and food prices needs to be given a serious thought."
"In the presentation it was suggested that people are ready to pay more for industrial products but not for food items... it is obvious that people want food, clothing and shelter to be affordable as they are basic requirements to live," Hosabale said while adding that cooperatives can play a big role in this regard.
Talking about the growth in the agriculture sector, he said, "In last 75 years, the development in the agriculture is a matter of pride for all of us...India became an exporting nation (in food grains) from a begging bowl.
"India has not only become self-reliant in grains but can also send to other countries and for that credit goes to all governments till date, scientists and farmers."
Emphasising the need for raising the stature of farmers, Hosabale said a movement is required to make agriculture attractive which will also help in checking rapid migration from villages to cities.
"There is no guaranteed income for farmers and their livelihoods are dependent on many external factors such as rains. There are challenges such as rising input costs.
"But the thing that I see going down is the social status of a farmer in the society. Even in government functions at the lowest level, I have seen lawyers and school principals being invited but not farmers," he said.
He added that more focus needs to be on rural industrialisation that can prevent unplanned migration from villages to cities. Institutes such as NCRI started by PV Narasimha Rao need to be strengthened.
Noting that Indian agricultural practices have been always ahead of the time, Hosabale, said students of agriculture must also learn about India's ancient knowledge systems that had the best traditional farming practices.
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
