The sudden depreciation of the Moldovan leu against the dollar and euro during the last few days becomes a subject for disputes between the government and the Opposition. The authorities say there is no reason for panic, while the Opposition says the Government uses such a method to collect money into the budget by impoverishing the population, Info-Prim Neo reports. Veaceslav Ionita, the head of the parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finances, urges the people not to get into a panic as the oscillation of the exchange rate is something normal. “No decision to modify the exchange rate exists. The depreciation and appreciation of the national currency is like flu, which is natural in autumn, spring and winter,” Ionita said, adding that there are no global trends and that it is just an oscillation of the market. At the same time, former Minister of Economy and Trade, Communist MP Igor Dodon considers that the Government depreciates the leu in order to earn additional incomes into the state budget and that the Filat Government fulfills thus a condition imposed by the International Monetary Fund. “The IMF insisted at all the stages that the Government of Moldova and the central bank allow the national currency to depreciate. I think that the leu will be depreciated by the end of this year, until the IMF disburses the money,” Dodon said. The former minister also said that this is a right move in the short term, but it is dangerous in the medium and long term. “The depreciation leads to a galloping rise in the prices of products and services as the salaries stop being increased and certain compensations for some groups of people are reduced. It will lead to poverty,” Igor Dodon said. At Friday's meeting of the Standing Bureau of the Parliament, the Communist MPs said that the central bank governor Dorin Dragutanu should be invited to one of the parliamentary sittings next week to explain what's happening on the currency market. The Liberal-Democratic coalition rejected yet the proposal. The official exchange rate of the leu against the dollar and euro has modified significantly since the start of this week. The dollar appreciated from 11.30 lei to 11.84 lei, while the European common currency – from 16.70 lei to 17.44 lei.