State BJP spokesperson Balraj Passi has lashed out at the Congress-led State Government for its decision to cut foodgrain quota of APl category. He said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was not even aware of the geo-socio conditions in Uttarakhand.
“Even today, people in the mountains depend heavily on subsidised foodgrain, especially due to poor road connectivity. Even hitherto well-connected districts like Nainital have many areas where the poor economic and road condition leads most people to depend on subsidised foodgrain,” the newly-appointed spokesperson maintained during his Kumaon visit on Wednesday.
On one hand, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is advocating food security; on the other hand, the State Government is cutting subsidised foodgrain quota in the hill State, according to Passi.
“Had the Chief Minister been sensitive to the concerns of the people of Uttarakhand, he would not have taken such a harsh decision, like cutting of the foodgrain quota,” Passi said.
Describing completion of four years in office by the UPA-II at the Centre as a complete failure, the spokesperson said when the dispensation came to power four years ago, its topmost priority was to bring down inflation within 100 days. Now, from the current levels of inflation, people could well analyse the success of UPA-II, according to Passi.
He added, “Thereafter, a series of scams — 2G, the VIP helicopter deal, coal, cash for appointment/promotion in railways, to name only a few - have only hit the country’s growth adversely, along with hurting the common man.”
“The fact is that people are very much aware of how the Congress-led UPA tried to save its Government in the first term through ‘cash for vote’ and they also know about the unprecedented level of corruption they have been facing during the past decade or so,” Passi further said.
The BJP has already announced that it will stage huge protests across the country in the form of ‘jail bharo andolan’. In Dehradun alone, 5,400 party activists have registered for this agitation, according to Passi. He called upon party activists to be prepared to expose failures of Congress Governments, both at the Centre and State.