Rahul Gandhi didn't speak to me about poverty controversy

Published On: October 4, 2011 | Duration: 19 min, 51 sec

In an interview to NDTV, Montek Singh Ahluwalia describes the "Rs 32 controversy" as a Peepli Live moment for the Indian media. Mr Ahluwalia, who is the Deputy Chair of the Planning Commission, said that there was no political pressure on him to explain the Commission's affidavit. Filed in the Supreme Court last month, the document states that families in urban area who spend more than Rs. 32 a day cannot be classified as Below the Poverty Line (BPL). Mr. Ahluwalia said that this estimate does not mean that his group recommends that these families should be ineligible for welfare schemes like subsidized food grain.