BJP leader Varun Gandhi here on Wednesday said that the problem arising out of illegal migration from Bangladesh is no longer restricted to Assam alone, rather it has assumed the dimension of a national problem.
The BJP leader, who is on a three-day visit to the state, also indicated that the party may decide to go alone in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. He however clarified that party leaders would be taking a final decision in this regard through proper consultation. Asserting to improve the performance of the party in the state, Mr Gandhi also called upon the party workers to rake up other burning issues like corruption and unemployment.
“There are more than 25 lakh unemployed youths in Assam and the job of the government should be to ensure them jobs,” Mr Gandhi said.
Expressing his desire to travel in the state to know the pulse of the people, the BJP leader on his maiden visit to the state, however, said that it was important to know what the people wants rather than imposing on them the viewpoints of big political leaders.
Mr Gandhi, who visited Kamakhya Temple to offer prayer earlier during the day, addressed BJP workers and exhorted them to fight for the strengthening of the party. “I want to take the youth of Assam along with me to bolster the party’s prospects,” he asserted.
***
PM hopeful of inflation coming down
AGE CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed hope that the high inflation will come down in the coming months. “Let us hope, inflation will come down in the coming months. I am not an astrologer,” Dr Singh said.
While the overall inflation was at 9.97 per cent in July, food inflation was at 10.86 per cent for the week ending on August 21. In this whole year, the food inflation has been in single digit only for two weeks in July. Though India is witnessing a good monsoon, economists have been pointing out that it is unlikely that food inflation will soon fall to comfortable level of 4-5 per cent due to structural changes in India.
Controlling high prices has become one of the major challenge for UPA-II.
Last month in his Independence day address, Dr Singh had assured the nation that the government is working to control the double digit inflation.
He had said that the government has raised the minimum support price for the farmers, which has also contributed to high food prices.
On ONGC disinvestment, the Prime Minister said that was an ongoing process. “I don’t know which company will be divested. We have an able Finance Minister who is dealing with the subject,” he added.