New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Centre is “sabotaging” its Anna Bhagya guarantee in Karnataka and asserted that the 10 kg free rice scheme of its state government would be implemented at the earliest, “come what may.”
The Opposition party also asked why is that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana is not a ‘revdi (freebie)’, whereas the Congress guarantee of 10 kg free rice through the Anna Bhagya 2.0 scheme “vilified and sabotaged.”
In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that it is nothing but Karnataka’s ‘durbhagya’ (misfortune) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “punishing the poor of the state for voting to secure their future”.
From January 1, 2023 till May 24, 2023, the BJP-led state government in Karnataka alone lifted more than 95 per cent of the rice procured by all state governments under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) at a rate of Rs 3,400 per quintal, presumably with “Modi-ji’s ‘aashirwaad’”, Ramesh said.
“Once, the Congress government was formed in Karnataka, as threatened by BJP president JP Nadda, this ‘aashirwaad’ has been withdrawn at break-neck speed,” he alleged. Ramesh argued that regardless of claims otherwise made by the Modi government, it is now “absolutely clear” that the order of June 13 by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Food Distribution discontinuing OMSS(D) for states was targeted at mainly one state, Karnataka, that procured more than 95 per cent of all rice bought by state governments under the scheme this year. “Actually, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had issued orders for sale of rice under OMSS (D) on June 12, 2023, based on the requests of the Congress-led state government in Karnataka made on June 6, 2023 and June 9, 2023. Yet a day later, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Food Distribution discontinued the OMSS (D) for states,” he said.
“Clearly, this was targeted at sabotaging the implementation of the Anna Bhagya 2.0 scheme guaranteed by the Congress to the people of Karnataka,” Ramesh alleged.
Immediately, on June 14, the FCI general manager Karnataka withdrew the earlier order of sale of rice on June 12, he said. “Not only that, the Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in a press conference on June 23, 2023 said that conditions will be placed such that private traders cannot sell to another state. Isn’t this
a clear case of sabotage?” Ramesh said.