Jharkhand CM stirs row; says 'female infanticide will rise if inflation not controlled'

While addressing the state assembly on Friday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that if inflation in the country is not controlled, then the cases of female infanticide and child marriages will increase. He targeted the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre as he warned about the worse effects of rising inflation on the female population of the country. 

Speaking in the state assembly, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren linked the rising inflation in the country to an increase in the deprivation of the poor and gender bias and pressed that this situation will further lead to chaos in society. 

"Cases of female infanticide, child marriage will increase in the coming days if we'll not control inflation in the country," Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on Friday.

Raising his concerns about gender bias and evils in society, Chief Minister Soren said that there will be an increase in the cases of girl infanticide if inflation is not handled.

He further added that evils in society, like some people who say- "girl child is a burden", will rise due to inflation. Soren said that as a result of inflation, there will be a rise in the number of child marriages across the country. He asserted that there will be disruption in other sectors as well because the prices are going up. "But disorder will prevail in the society," CM Soren added.

"We have been fighting this fight since independence - ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (save the girl child). All the improvements will be undone. Nobody will teach the girl child," Chief Minister of Jharkhand said.

'Worst impact on Adivasis, Dalits, Backward'

While addressing the state Assembly on Friday, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister said that the rising inflation in the country will affect other social classes in the strata of Indian society. Soren said that the worst impact of inflation would be seen on tribal people. He further claimed that Dalits and backward classes that are already deprived of their rights, will face the worst impact. 

 "The country's Adivasis, Dalits, backward classes will be the worst impacted by inflation," CM Hemant Soren said.

Rising inflation

The rise in crude oil and natural gas prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, has put pressure on the wholesale price index (WPI). As the fuel prices go up, transportation and logistics cost go high, further increasing the price of goods and services.

Retail inflation hit an eight-month high of 6.07% in February and wholesale price-based inflation soared to 13.11% on account of the hardening of crude oil and non-food item prices, according to government data released on Monday. Inflation last month was 12.96%, while in February last year, it was 4.83%. 

Inflation in food articles, however, eased to 8.19% in February from 10.33%. Vegetable inflation was 26.93% in February, against 38.45% a month before that.

The Reserve Bank last month kept its key repo rate (rate at which it lends short-term money to banks) unchanged for the 10th time in a row at 4%, to support growth as well as manage inflationary pressures.