May 6, 2008 (LPAC)--Indian leaders from all sides are attacking President George Bush's outrageous statement blaming India and China for rising food prices, VOA reported today. Bush made the statement May 2 that the Indian and Chinese middle classes are driving up food prices. VOA quoted Indian physicist Vandana Shiva, who is now an environmentalist, saying that Indians are now eating less per capita than they did 15 years ago. Shiva said Bush made his remarks "to distract the American public. And, second, is to continue the myth of globalization, to make it look like globalization is bringing benefits to countries like India, when it's not.... Per capita consumption of food [in India] has dropped from 177 kilograms per capita per year to 152 in the last decade and a half. Instead of Mr. Bush citing that 350 million middle class, he should be citing the Indian children being denied. One million a year are dying for lack of food."

Today, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram was quoted by the Financial Times saying of converting food crops to biofuels: "To put it mildly, it is foolish; to put it strongly, it is a crime against humanity." Chidambaram has attacked biofuels production before. Speaking at the ADB meeting in Madrid, he also said that using palm oil for biofuels is a bad idea.

The VOA also reported that the Confederation of Indian Industry, representing 7,000 business entities, is setting up a task force to look into rising food costs. The CII says that bio-fuels, increasing drought, and "land set aside" subsidies are sending prices up.

Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony called Bush's comment "a cruel joke" because U.S. biofuel policies are responsible for higher food prices. And BJP vice president M.A. Nagvi said that Bush is shifting from his earlier role of global "bomb inspector" to world "bread inspector."