Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today took a jibe at the Centre over its “helplessness” on price rise, saying the situation should prompt it to take innovative ways like fixing minimum support prices for five years to ensure food security.

“The current situation of helplessness that the Government of India finds itself in should prompt some soul searching among those who advocate that market mechanisms and free trade across borders will take care of India’s food security”, he said.

Participating in the Conference of Chief Ministers on prices of essential commodities, he said perhaps it was time to rekindle the debate on need for near self sufficiency in essential foods and investment in food storage infrastructure.

Pranab, Modi spat at CMs’ conference on price rise

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today had a spat during the conference on food prices here after the former accused Modi of politicising the issue of sale of wheat and rice at concessional rates.

Mukherjee intervened at the Chief Ministers’ conference on prices when Modi was slamming the Centre for its policies and questioning the fulfilment of their election promises on sale of wheat and rice at Rs 3 per kg for below poverty line people.

The Union Minister accused Modi of politicising the issue and the Gujarat Chief Minister, in turn, said there was no politics in asking the Centre about its promises, sources said.

When asked about the spat later, Modi told reporters, “I am only asking them to meet at least their election promise.

Centre lacks vision to tackle price rise: Narendra Modi

“There is a lack of collective vision and a unified voice in tackling the issue. The states are ready to take proactive steps but there is lack of vision and action on part of the central government,” Modi said on the sidelines of a conference of chief ministers here to tackle soaring food prices.

Saying that the meeting should have been called earlier, Modi added that “even at this meeting the centre did not come forward with an action plan to tackle price rise”.

Crediting the farmers community for rise in food production, the Gujarat chief minister said that the central government has mismanaged the food economy due to its policies.

As per government records, 10 percent of food grains are wasted in the process of storing and 30 percent gets wasted because it lies in the open, he said.

According to Modi, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states have acted firmly in tackling the problem of price rise, the Congress-led state governments have failed to do so.