Sonia Gandhi launches the scheme in Delhi.
New Delhi:
Sonia Gandhi launched the Congress' ambitious food security scheme in election-bound Delhi today, but the ruling party was unable to get Parliament to debate the Bill that will make it law. The BJP stalled the Houses over missing files relating to coal block allocations.
At the Talkatora stadium, where the Congress function was held, Union Food Minister KV Thomas blamed Narendra Modi. "Last week when I got the letter from Narendra Modi, what was the aim? It was to delay. Modi who claims to be the next Prime Minister of the country is denying the right to the people," he said.
Mr Modi had written to the Centre raising five points of objection. His party, the BJP, says it does not oppose the bill, but wants changes. It has also questioned the wisdom of increasing the subsidy burden on a flailing economy.
The Bill aims at providing highly-subsidized food to nearly 70 per cent of India's population at a cost of nearly Rs. 1.25 lakh crores.
The Congress wanted to push the food bill in Parliament today, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, but it will now be taken up only on Thursday. Mrs Gandhi was reportedly ready to make a rare speech and her party even came to Parliament ready to suspend its own MPs from Andhra Pradesh, who have been protesting against a separate Telangana state, if they tried to disrupt proceedings.
To appease opposition parties and some allies it has made changes to the bill. The Samjawadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which extend external support to the government have said they will support the bill, but with amendments. Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United will also support it.
"Unfortunate that we are trying to pass the bill and the opposition is not letting parliament run," said minister of state for home, RPN Singh.
Outside the Talkatora stadium, members of the Delhi BJP staged protests, accusing the Congress of timing the scheme with an eye on elections due in five states soon. The police used water cannons to disperse the protestors.
The Congress is indeed counting on its big food scheme as a vote-getter in the assembly elections and in the national elections, due by May. But the Bill will lapse if it does not get Parliament's approval before this monsoon session ends on August 30.
At the Talkatora stadium, where the Congress function was held, Union Food Minister KV Thomas blamed Narendra Modi. "Last week when I got the letter from Narendra Modi, what was the aim? It was to delay. Modi who claims to be the next Prime Minister of the country is denying the right to the people," he said.
Mr Modi had written to the Centre raising five points of objection. His party, the BJP, says it does not oppose the bill, but wants changes. It has also questioned the wisdom of increasing the subsidy burden on a flailing economy.
The Bill aims at providing highly-subsidized food to nearly 70 per cent of India's population at a cost of nearly Rs. 1.25 lakh crores.
The Congress wanted to push the food bill in Parliament today, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, but it will now be taken up only on Thursday. Mrs Gandhi was reportedly ready to make a rare speech and her party even came to Parliament ready to suspend its own MPs from Andhra Pradesh, who have been protesting against a separate Telangana state, if they tried to disrupt proceedings.
To appease opposition parties and some allies it has made changes to the bill. The Samjawadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which extend external support to the government have said they will support the bill, but with amendments. Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United will also support it.
"Unfortunate that we are trying to pass the bill and the opposition is not letting parliament run," said minister of state for home, RPN Singh.
Outside the Talkatora stadium, members of the Delhi BJP staged protests, accusing the Congress of timing the scheme with an eye on elections due in five states soon. The police used water cannons to disperse the protestors.
The Congress is indeed counting on its big food scheme as a vote-getter in the assembly elections and in the national elections, due by May. But the Bill will lapse if it does not get Parliament's approval before this monsoon session ends on August 30.
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