Skyrocketing onion prices: Pawan Kalyan holds govt responsible

Tirupati: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan held the State government responsible for the onion woes being faced by people for more than a month now.

"It is not proper to blame the previous governments for each and everything without showing any solution to the problems. We can go up to British governments with this kind of blame game. What is the use? They should spell out their development agenda," he said.

If the government is incapable and inefficient in dealing with people's problems, it could step down and go for fresh elections, criticised Pawan.

The Jana Sena chief made a surprise visit to Tirupati Rythu Bazaar on Tuesday morning to get first hand information on onion woes. He talked to both sellers and buyers about the prevailing situation.

Speaking on the occasion, he said for the last four days there was no distribution of subsidy onions and people were not aware as to when they will they get them. The government had failed to solve the issue. He pointed out that those in the governance had been simply evading from every problem saying that the previous government was responsible for them.

A housewife Jyothi told Pawan, "People thought that Jagan will come to solve their problems. What he has done so far? Prices of pulses, palmolein and vegetables etc., have been skyrocketing. Prices of all vegetables have been doubled in Rythu Bazaar. In the past for Rs 500 we used to get a bag full of vegetables whereas now even for Rs 1000 bag is not full."

Sellers told him that price of a kg of poor quality onions is Rs 80 and that of best quality is Rs 130. For every bag of onions they purchased from Kurnool market about 15 kg onions were getting damaged causing them losses.

Responding to their woes, Pawan said people of the State had witnessed sand woes and now they were facing trouble with onions. Farmers have not been getting minimum support price and people have been complaining of high prices. This indicates that middlemen have been benefitting hugely.

"Our party is for resolving issues amicably. It is not proper to sell Rs 25-a-kg onions for above Rs 100. How can people live like this? Government should realise the facts and bring onions to the reach of people. Even they can sell at Rs.40. Otherwise, we will take up the movement forward along with the people," he said.

Pawan paid Rs 3000 compensation to a seller as his onions got damaged in the stampede caused by Jana Sainiks and his fans at Rythu Bazar. Senior party leader Nadendla Manohar, Political Affairs Committee member Dr P Hariprasad and others accompanied him.