New Delhi:
A day after the cabinet cleared the food bill through the ordinance route, BJP President Rajnath Singh has attacked the government for hurriedly pushing through the Rs 1.25 lakh crore welfare scheme.
Questioning the government's move, Mr Singh said the BJP had wanted to discuss the food bill in Parliament.
"Why didn't the government bring the food bill in Parliament and discuss it. Why such hurry? There are shortcomings in the bill that we want to discuss and want to pass the bill after correcting them. The government couldn't get the bill passed in last eight years, why the hurry now," the BJP President said.
The Congress however says the food bill is in the interest of the people. "This ordinance is been pending for a very long time. It is in the interest of the poor people... I don't understand the logic behind opposing the bill," said Congress MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi.
Going the ordinance route, President Pranab Mukherjee will now clear the scheme, which has to be approved by Parliament within six weeks of its next session.
By using an executive order, the minority government has sidestepped a debate in Parliament on the scheme.
The bill, championed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, aims to give cheap food to nearly 70 per cent of the population. The scheme has been planned as a centre-piece of the ruling Congress party's plan to win a third term in power.
The ambitious scheme will raise the annual food subsidy spending by 45 per cent. Under the scheme, rice will be available at Rs. 3 a kilogram, and wheat at Rs. 2 a kilogram. The monthly supply ranges from three to seven kilograms per person, depending on their level of income.
The push for the ordinance was reportedly based on suggestions from the Election Commission that state elections will be announced by September 22. That means the model code of conduct will kick in, which prohibits the government from announcing any big policies that could impact voting.
The government has in the past expressed its concern over the main opposition party, the BJP, causing a paralysis of the next Parliament session, as it did during the last, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister over alleged corruption.