Notwithstanding Shiromani Akali Dal’s role in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the younger brother of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cautioned the SAD-BJP led Punjab government from taking “advantage” of the Center’s Food Security Act.
Prahlad Modi, national vice-president of the All-India Depot Holders’ Association, asked the Punjab government to come out with its law on the lines of public distribution system (PDS) in case it wanted to continue its Atta-Dal scheme providing wheat and pulses to the people at low prices.
“The state government is taking all credit by providing wheat at Rs one which it is getting at Rs two from the Center. In this process, it is not providing a penny to the depot holders. This will lead to corruption and nothing else,” said Prahlad, who resembles NaMo in too many ways apart from his height.This was not for the first time when the younger brother of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate has raised his voice against the BJP government. Running a depot at Ahmedabad, Prahlad has taken the BJP-led Gujarat Government to the court on three occasions due to discrepancies in the PDS being national vice-president of Fair Price Shop licence Holder Association.
In city to give support to the “non-cooperation” campaign of the Punjab Depot Holders’ Association, who have been demanding fix salaries, additional expenses including ship rent, salary and transportation cost etc. A total of 26,000 depot holders across the State refused to distribute wheat and pulses under state’s “New Atta Dal” scheme, launched on December 1, announcing “indefinite strike” from December 2.
“We are only asking the state government to give us commission that it was giving us earlier under Atta-Dal scheme for distributing food grains, but denied under the Center’s Food Security Act,” said Punjab Depot Holders’ Association head Gurjinder Singh Sandhu.
He added that the state government was providing Rs 20 per quintal commission on distributing pulses under Atta-Dal scheme, and commission was also provided for distributing kerosene oil and wheat to the APl.Prahlad Modi added that while the Gujarat Government gives Rs 60 per quintal commission along with transportation cost, Haryana Government has fixed salary of Rs 8,100 for them. “Why can’t Punjab Government follow the suitIJ” he questioned.
Threatening to go on fast-unto-death, Sandhu said that it seems, this was the only way left with them. Besides, the Association is also mulling to organise a mega rally in Chandigarh. “We have left with no source of income now, and the state’s Food and Civil Supplies minister is threatening us to implement a system via which they would do away with depot holders and distribute ration by food inspectors,” said Sandhu.
When contacted, the Secretary for the Food and Civil Supplies DS Grewal, he said that the state government has sent a proposal in this regard to the Centre proposing Rs 11,800 for every depot holder, and awaiting their response. The development assumes significance as the depot holders’ decision has left the SAD-BJP government red-faced which has “re-launched” its game-changer Atta-Dal scheme ‘re-branding’ Centre’s Food Security Act with much pomp and show promising wheat at Re one per kilogram and pulses at Rs 20 per kg.