The Hindu : New Delhi News : Price rise, PDS quota major issues: NDA

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Price rise, PDS quota major issues: NDA

Neena Vyas

Alleges discrimination by Centre

NEW DELHI: The Chief Ministers of States ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party or its National Democratic Alliance partners have alleged discrimination by the Centre even as they identified price rise and inadequate food cereal quota for the public distribution system as major issues.

Seven of the nine Chief Ministers who were invited for the conclave by Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani attended the meeting. Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan sent their representatives.

“Discrimination”

The NDA has decided to bring out a pamphlet detailing concrete examples of “discrimination,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj later told the press, adding that the parties would raise this matter in Parliament.

The complaint was that adequate relief was not given by the Centre when the NDA-ruled States were gripped by drought or floods or other natural calamities. The cereal quota released to the States was based on the off-take in earlier years, although with a wide gap in open market and PDS prices the demand for foodgrains from ration shops was higher. Some Chief Ministers also said that the strength of the below poverty line (BPL) population in their States was 50 per cent higher than what was acknowledged by the Centre.

Ms. Swaraj said the NDA decided to stage agitations against price rise in their States and in the capital.

The parties also plan to mobilise farmers who had not benefited from loan waiver and demand that they be included in the scheme announced in the 2008-09 budget. They would include farmers with more than two-hectare land holdings, those who owe money to private moneylenders, and others who paid back their dues in time.

Separately, Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav said the United Progressive Alliance government had destroyed the country’s food security system by encouraging private players and leaving the prices of cereals to the market forces. He pointed out that large stocks of cereals and sugar were used by the NDA government “to manage” price stability. Large quantities were released in the market when prices tended to rise. “In a poor country food security cannot be left to the market forces and private players. That could play havoc with the lives of the poor and the most vulnerable section of society,” Mr. Yadav added. “Food prices and farmers’ issues will be our main plank in the Lok Sabha election.”

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