Oppn calls it ‘vote security’ bill

BJP, AIADMK, TMC, SP, SAD call it political gimmick, ask who will foot the bill

Anita Saluja

New Delhi: The Opposition targeted the Congress-led UPA government on the Food Security Bill, which was debated in the Lok Sabha, terming the Bill as a political gimmick that was brought by the ruling dispensation at the fag-end of their tenure, merely to garner votes.

Leading the Opposition charge, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said the government was not giving food to all, whereas universal food guarantee should be the aim. Taking a dig at the Congress, he asked, “I live in a city. What should I eat? Should I eat coal or spectrum?” “This Bill is not Food Security Bill, it is vote-securing Bill,” he added.

The government, he said, had taken four years to formulate the Food Bill. “In 2009, when UPA-2 came to power they promised to bring Food Security Bill. After 4 to 5 years, when they are about to go, they are bringing this Bill. We want to know what they were doing in the last 4 to 5 years,” he remarked.

Joshi attacked the government for not promising nutritional food to the poor. He wanted to know why poor were not being provided pulses, fat, oil or milk. According to him, providing 5 kg of food grains per month meant a mere 166 gram of food every day.

Opposing the Bill, M Thambi Durai (AIADMK) objected to the damage caused to the federal structure of the Constitution. He said that states would be saddled with additional financial burden whenever there is shortage of food grains, forcing imports of foodgrains. “Don’t drag the states into it,” he pleaded and wanted to know why the Centre should step into the shoes of the State governments. Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP) wanted to know why a Chief Ministers Conference was not convened to consult the state governments, which will be burdened more when the scheme is implemented.

He wondered where the states will find the funds for the implementation of the programme. He wanted to know how many will benefit from the scheme and what is the overall quantity that will be distributed under it. He asked the government to give a guarantee to the farmers that all their produce will be bought by it and also to assure the state governments that they will be given identical facilities.

Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool Cong) asked the Centre not to interfere in the jurisdiction of the States and the entire expenditure for the scheme should be borne by the Central Government.

TDP Parliamentary Party leader Nama Nageshwar Rao pooh-poohed the UPA government for bringing food security cover after 55 years of its rule. He said that N T Rama Rao had given rice at Rs 2 per kg in 1983 and the Congress had opposed it. He said that because of corruption and increase in black money, poverty had risen. The government has failed completely to bring development in the country.

The TDP MP said that the UPA government should first give guarantee of providing water to the poor and ensuring development in the villages. They should increase the MSP for farmers.

In her no-holds-barred attack against the UPA government, Harsimrat Kaur (SAD) wondered what the government would do if there was drought or flood in the country. “If the food production drops, what will happen,” she asked. She flayed the government for doing nothing to increase the infrastructure and storage facility. “What about water security that will be needed to produce food,” she asked.

Harsimrat Kaur advised the government not to engage in votebank politics. “The poor,” she said, “want to earn their livelihood and want to live with dignity. They do not want to be dependent on anybody. Don’t play cheap politics with the country.”

Praful Patel (NCP) rejected the charge that his party leader Sharad Pawar was against the Food Security Bill. Batting for the government, he said that the poor would benefit from the scheme. If there were some loopholes, they could be redressed at a later stage. Lalu Yadav (RJD), similarly, declared that no one could stop the Food Security Scheme.

Sonia Gandhi was determined to pass the Bill and it would be done. Janata Dal United Chief Sharad Yadav said the food security bill is a bold move. He though adds that he is apprehensive about any scheme for the poor because the benefits may not reach them.

Jayaprada compares Sonia with NTR

New Delhi: Welcoming the Food Security Bill introduced by the UPA government, Samajwadi Party member Jayaprada said on Monday that it was N T Rama Rao who first thought of food security and introduced the Rs 2 a kg rice scheme to benefit the poor in Andhra Pradesh three decades ago.

During the debate on the Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha, Jayaprada said that now it was Sonia Gandhi who was thinking of the poor and brought the present bill. “I want to thank her for the measure, which will go a long way to mitigate hunger of the poor,” she said.

Jayaprada mentioned that several welfare schemes had been introduced after Independence to uplift the downtrodden, but the poor continued to be poor, while the rich had become richer. She said that people’s representatives in the House should ponder and introduce corrective measures. There were some short comings in the present bill; yet, it should be welcomed because it was the beginning.

She called for efforts to strengthen the public distribution system as there were leakages in delivery to the poor. She said the government should procure food grains from farmers and ensure remunerative prices for their produce. She demanded steps to help farmers affected by floods and natural calamities.