Challenging Akali MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal for a public debate on her criticism of Centre’s Right to Food Security Ordinance, the Punjab Congress on Sunday advised her to first introspect before terming the Right to Food Security, a ‘vote’ security ordinance and accusing the UPA Government of being anti-poor.
“Needless to mention, the Right to Food Security Ordinance passed by the UPA Government is a landmark decision, which is going to provide subsidised ration to approximately 67 per cent of India’s population. By ridiculing and opposing the Right to Food to the poor, Harsimrat Kaur is only exposing her feudal mindset and double standards,” said Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The party, in fact, challenged Harsimrat for an open debate on the Right to Food Security and her “malicious and false allegations” against the UPA Government.
The Congress suggested her to analyse the performance of SAD-BJP government on social welfare front instead of calling it anti-poor.Presently, over 80,000 Shagun scheme applications of Dalit girls are pending with the state government, with arrears of Rs 122 crores. Similarly, old age and widow pensions are often delayed for months before they reach the beneficiaries.
The Government has failed to honor its manifesto commitments of doubling old age pension from Rs 250 per month to Rs 500 and also increasing the Shagun amount from Rs 15,000 to Rs 31,000, Khaira added.