“A government that cannot control prices has no business to rule.” This was the slogan that ultimately dethroned the Janata Party. The year was 1980. The Janata Party ruled at the Centre and the Congress was in opposition. The prices of onion were skyrocketing. Indira Gandhi campaigned all over the country for the parliamentary elections with a garland of onions around her neck and asked people for votes on the slogan. This was the first time when the prices of onion became a major election issue. The Janata Party lost the polls and once again the Congress formed the government at the Centre. After that, many occasions came when onions made leaders in the saddle teary-eyed. In most of the region, the retail price of onion is hovering between ₹70 and ₹100. According to experts, the price may soon reach ₹120 to ₹150 per kilo. Till a week ago, rates were around ₹30-40 a kg. But suddenly one day the wholesale price of the onion increased by ₹2,000 per quintal which led to a rise in its retail rates.
