Lalu, Yechury protest against price rise

Image: CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and CPI leader D Raja protest near the Parliament
Photographs: Domal Kamraju

Left parties were on Tuesday joined by the Biju Janata Dal, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Telugu Desam Party in the Parliament in their protest against the government's 'inaction' in checking rising prices of foodgrain and other essential items

Parties protest against price rise

Image: The leaders participated in a sit-in protest
Photographs: Domal Kamraju

Members of these parties staged a sit-in at the main gate of the Parliament House and were joined by top leaders like Communist Party of India - Marxist leaders Sitaram Yechury, Basudeb Acharia, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, TDP leader M V Mysura Reddy, Communist Party of India leader D Raja and BJD leader Arjun Charan Sethi.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav joined the protest in the Lok Sabha and, along with Left leaders, demanded suspension of the Question Hour to take up a discussion on the issue.

Political parties protest against price rise

Image: RJD chief Lalu Prasad with CPI-M leader Brinda Karat
Photographs: Domal Kamraju

The House was adjourned for about 20 minutes and later Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal said a structured discussion on the price situation would take place on Wednesday.

In the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherejee and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan assured Yechury that a discussion would be held after the passage of the Finance Bill.

Political parties protest against price rise

Image: The leaders demanded the strengthening of the public distribution system
Photographs: Domal Kamraju

"This is the single-most important issue affecting the daily lives of the people in the country and the government has not taken any concrete action so far. We have been demanding a stop to future and speculative trading in foodgrain for so long, but no step has been taken," Yechury said.

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