New Delhi:
Mulayam Singh Yadav has ripped into the ruling Congress accusing it of rushing an Ordinance on Food Security with an eye on elections.
"The Congress is doing this because of the elections. Their intentions are not clean," said the Samajwadi Party chief, adding that he was worried about what the ramifications of the new law would be for farmers. The SP opposes the food security bill, seen as the Congress' big votecatcher, as anti-farmer.
Much like main opposition party the BJP and others, Mr Yadav too said today that the government should have duly brought the Bill in Parliament and sought approval for it rather than pass it through an Ordinance. The President has this afternoon signed the Ordinance giving 67 per cent of the country's population legal right to subsidised grain.
Mr Yadav lends crucial external support to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, but has sought to make it amply clear that the arrangement is likely to extend only till the next general elections are held.
The BJP has promised today that the government's move to push its populist Bill through an Ordinance will lead to confrontation in Parliament in the monsoon session. "The ordinance route is absolutely unacceptable...the Government could have called a parliament session in the next two weeks; what they have not done in nine years and three months, could have been postponed by another 2-3 weeks," the party's Yashwant Sinha said.
The Congress has argued that the government it leads had to resort to an Ordinance, as there was no unanimity during discussions with opposition parties. The Bill is said to be Sonia Gandhi's pet project and is a flagship promise in the Congress' election manifesto.
It was hurriedly tabled during the Budget Session of Parliament, but could not be taken up for discussion as the Opposition stalled Parliament for days at a stretch attacking the government on several scandals. The session had to be adjourned two days ahead of schedule.
The Food Security Bill is aimed at giving 5 kg foodgrain a month to almost 75 per cent of the rural poor and 50 per cent of the urban poor at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.