The Hindu : National : `UPA has no consistent policy to tackle inflation'

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Friday, Sep 10, 2004

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`UPA has no consistent policy to tackle inflation'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 9. The Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, said today that the United Progressive Alliance did not have any consistent economic policy to deal with the present inflationary spiral and fiscal crisis.

Referring to the reported statement of the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, attributing the poverty in India to the socialist policies of the 30-year reign of Nehru and Indira Gandhi, he said the Minister had somersaulted from his earlier position in favour of more state control and nationalisation of industries.

In a statement, Dr. Swamy said Mr. Chidambaram had hidden the fact that as a co-founder of The Radical Review, he had written articles urging more state control. "Today it being no more fashionable to defend the Soviet model, he has somersaulted."

Mr. Chidambaram's "somersault" signified the utter contradictions in the UPA Government. On the one hand, the Left Front was bashing the reformist Planning Commission as "World Bank stooges," and, on the other, the Finance Minister was disowning the Congress legacy of Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

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