The BJP thinks tomatoes are only for the rich.

The condemnable remarks by BJP national vice-president and its organisational incharge for Delhi, Mr Prabhat Jha, who said that only the rich eat Tomatoes and one should not worry about its prices, reflect a sick mindset of a leader of the ruling party drunk with the arrogance of power.

Mr Jha’s remarks are in striking similarity to the insensitive language used by Congress leaders when their UPA government was in power and indicate how cut off from reality leaders of those in power appear to be.

The Aam Aadmi Party questions the BJP’s silence on a remark of its senior national leader who considers eating Tomatoes as a parameter of prosperity ?

It is shameful that a national office-bearer of the ruling party has attempted a cheap poetic banter on an issue that is suffocating the aam aadmi.

Mr Prabhat Jha has insinuated that only the rich eat Tomatoes. It is only a half truth since it is the government run by his party, which has turned Tomatoes into a rare commodity since last two months.

In the past one month alone, Tomato prices have risen by over 200 per cent in many cities, with Delhi being one of the worst hit, where the prices have skyrocketed by nearly 250 per cent and a back-breaking 300 per cent in Mumbai.

Onion prices have risen by 50 to 70 per cent. There is no fall in production or arrivals in wholesale mandis but the prices are still rising. So Mr Jha is partially correct in saying that Tomatoes are unaffordable, but the big question is who is responsible for making it an eatable for a select few with high purchasing power ?

Delhi gets its Tomato produce from Himachal, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Each of these states have been badly hit by delayed rainfall and a large percentage of the crops have failed. There has also been a plant disease.

The government has not engaged the scientific agricultural community to combat these problems. The government has also not planned in advance for the delayed rainfall or undertaken any significant irrigation overhaul.

Finally, the produce from Karnataka has stopped coming to Delhi because Tomatoes are a perishable item and could not last a four day truck journey to Delhi. The limited supply is from Himachal and Maharashtra. This shows that the government has not thought about storage and transportation as an integral part of the agricultural supply chain.

Instead of tackling such serious issues, the BJP, in keeping with its new habit of arrogance, is indulging in insensitive and arrogant and off the cuff remarks.

The BJP government has miserably failed in curbing price rise and has done no planning to cater to the drought like situation, despite the fact that India has just suffered its driest June in 113 years.

The BJP thinks that tomatoes are eaten only by the rich and hence they need not care what the people pay for them.
Truly Acche din have come