New Delhi:
It was the humble onion that first put the spotlight on Sheila Dikshit way back in 1998, eventually moving her into the Delhi Chief Minister's chair, a post that she's now held for 15 years. It's the same onion that today, after hitting a century in the retail market in the capital, has made her anxious, driving her to the agriculture minister's doorstep.
Huddled in a 40-minute-long meeting with both Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Food minister K V Thomas, she emerged with an assurance that prices would come down in a day or two. "(The) situation is serious as we all know. We are trying our best to stabilise prices. 800 tonnes of onions have arrived. Consistent arrival required to stabilise prices," she said.
As election code of conduct is in place, the Delhi Chief Minister will also send a letter to the Election Commission seeking permission to re-start the government's scheme of selling onions at lower prices through mobile trucks, which worked well a few months ago.
While Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that rain damage to the onion crop has led to the current dip in onion stock, the situation is expected to stabilise in 2-3 weeks. Commerce minister Anand Sharma though blamed hoarders for the spike calling the current crisis the result of artificial scarcity.
Opinion may be divided on the reasons, there's no denying that given that food inflation is already the highest in seven months and with elections ahead in five states, this is every government's nightmare playing out.
The BJP, that's looking at challenging the Congress' three-term rule in the capital has already launched its attack with BJP's chief ministerial candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan saying, "I use the word nikammi sarkar because the Delhi government has failed on many aspects. Not only onions but many vegetables, pulses are so expensive that a common man can't afford it."
With six weeks to go before Delhi votes, the onion is bringing tears to the eyes of not just the consumers but even the government.
Huddled in a 40-minute-long meeting with both Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Food minister K V Thomas, she emerged with an assurance that prices would come down in a day or two. "(The) situation is serious as we all know. We are trying our best to stabilise prices. 800 tonnes of onions have arrived. Consistent arrival required to stabilise prices," she said.
As election code of conduct is in place, the Delhi Chief Minister will also send a letter to the Election Commission seeking permission to re-start the government's scheme of selling onions at lower prices through mobile trucks, which worked well a few months ago.
While Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that rain damage to the onion crop has led to the current dip in onion stock, the situation is expected to stabilise in 2-3 weeks. Commerce minister Anand Sharma though blamed hoarders for the spike calling the current crisis the result of artificial scarcity.
Opinion may be divided on the reasons, there's no denying that given that food inflation is already the highest in seven months and with elections ahead in five states, this is every government's nightmare playing out.
The BJP, that's looking at challenging the Congress' three-term rule in the capital has already launched its attack with BJP's chief ministerial candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan saying, "I use the word nikammi sarkar because the Delhi government has failed on many aspects. Not only onions but many vegetables, pulses are so expensive that a common man can't afford it."
With six weeks to go before Delhi votes, the onion is bringing tears to the eyes of not just the consumers but even the government.
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