The Congress on Friday accused the BJP Government of attempting to “kill” the purpose and intent as also “the soul and spirit” of Food Security Act (FSA) by reducing the number of eligible beneficiaries from 67 per cent to 40 per cent. The official Shanta Kumar Committee’s report recommending a drastic cut led the Congress attack against the Government by saying the move was “anti-poor” which would hit hard the common man.
AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala alleged the Committee’s report indicates that Government is now proposing to “cruelly deprive 2/3rd Indians of their ‘Right to Food’ guaranteed to them by the previous Congress Government”. In a statement, Surjewala said remarks of the Chairman of Committee and senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar to the effect that Congress had enacted a ‘Vote Security Bill’ and not a ‘Food Security Bill’ “is a crude attempt to make a mockery” of crores of toiling poor of India by the BJP.
“This is the worst case of political opportunism and concerted and premeditated deceit of the common man by BJP and Prime Minister. What is more shocking is the statement by Shanta Kumar stating that BJP did not oppose the Food Security Bill of UPA in 2013 as it feared an adverse reaction during the parliamentary polls,” Surjewala said at the AICC briefing earlier.
Noting that the ‘Food Security Act’ has been implemented only by nine States and two Union Territories, the Congress wanted the Prime Minister to give a deadline for implementation of the Act across all States. “What is the long-term policy of Modi and BJP Government guarantying food security to crores of countrymenIJ Whether they are preparing a devious design to abrogate this statutory right and principal responsibility of the Government to fight hunger in the garb of reduction of subsidyIJ” he asked, charging that such a destructive, deceitful and anti-poor hidden agenda could only be expected of the BJP.