'Removal of pulses, onion, potato from essentials' list will lead to food crisis'

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday slammed the Central government's decision to remove cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potato from the list of essential commodities, claiming that the "anti-people and disastrous" move would lead to food crisis.

"The decision to remove pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potato from the list of essential commodities is anti-people and disastrous. It will only help the big corporates and the BJP to loot the resources of the country," senior TMC leader and MP Sougata Ray claimed.

The BJP-led government is doing everything possible to wipe out the middle class and the poor section of the country, he alleged.

"The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill and the farm sector reform Bills will not serve the interests of farmers. It would lead to food crisis in the country, while farmers will not get the MSP (minimum support price) for their produce," Ray said.

Echoing his views, senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha MP, said this amendment to the Essential Commodities Act would lead to a major agrarian crisis in the country.

Two key Farm Bills, dubbed by the government as the biggest reform in agriculture, were on Sunday passed by Rajya Sabha by voice vote amid chaotic scenes by Opposition members.