New Delhi: Common man does not seem to have any relief from day by day soaring prices of fruits and vegetables although Narendra Modi-led NDA govt claims to have curtailed inflation. The soaring prices may cost BJP dearly in February 7 Assembly elections.
Staples like Wheat flour and rice might have shown only a marginal rise but prices of commonly used pulses like masoor and arhar have soared upto around 30%.
Most of the vegetables have also become costlier by atleast 20 to 50%. Popular winter vegetables like peas and some of the leafy vegetables have even gone beyond reached of common man and touched almost a 100% price rise.
According to a report published in Times of India, data collated from APMC (Azadpur) , between January 31, 2014 and January 30, 2015, suggest that the wholesale price of peas rose by 106%, spinach by 94%, carrots by 89%, beans by 68%, cabbage by 61%, brinjal by 57%, methi by 56%, bhindi and chillies by 47%, onion by 40% and tomato by 33%.
Under UPA regime one must have witnessed rocketing prices of food items within weeks, however the condition is not much different under the Modi government either; the only difference being that this time the price rise is a slow yet steady growth.
Eight months ago, BJP successfully swept away seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, with big promises of fighting price rise however; the same does not seem to have been fulfilled by the party.
This can affect the Modi government dear in the forthcoming Delhi elections too as poorer people in Delhi might like to cling with AAP in such a case which is offering to fight strongly against the price rise of daily use food items.
As a matter of fact, most of the low-income families are highly dependant on vegetables to make their main meal as pulses are already out of their reach since several years ago.
And if prices are to be looked at, then in wholesale markets like that of Azadpur, prices of vegetables are soaring consistently and much before they reach the end consumer another 30-50% of it rises as it passes through a chain of middlemen.
Especially, the main three vegetables – potato, onion and tomato – potatoes still might be marginally cheaper in the wholesale markets but onions and tomatoes are substantially high by 40% and 33% respectively.
Even winter vegetables like carrot, peas, spinach and methi are selling at 50-100% more than what they were one year ago. Similarly, winter fruits like guavas, grapes and apples are selling at prices that are 30% or more higher.
The only food items whose prices have fallen are oranges and bananas.
