The BJP has accused the Kejriwal government of taking credit for the Centre’s schemes, threatening to launch a campaign against the Delhi government.
Delhi BJP state president Adesh Gupta said that on 4 May, Kejriwal announced that 72 lakh ration card holders in the city will be given free ration for May and June, but the fact is it is the Central government’s policy under which it is being done. In fact, under the National Food Security Act and the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojna, every month 8 kg wheat and 2 kg rice is given. The Modi government is providing 37572 MT food under this Act whose monthly subsidy comes to Rs 96.95 crore and for two months, the amount is Rs 193.90 crore. Besides, under the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojna , some 72778 MT food is provided with monthly subsidy of Rs 101.69 crore and for two months, it is Rs 203.38 crore being given by the Centre. In these two months, Delhi’s 72 lakh ration card holders are getting subsidy worth Rs 400 crore from the Modi government, he added.
Gupta said this scheme was already announced by the Centre in view of the pandemic and ration is being provided by it only; so the fact is that Kejriwal, without doing anything for the poor and labourers of Delhi, wants to take all the credit for the Centre’s schemes, he asserted.
He said the Supreme Court had to intervene in the matter of workers and others migrating out of Delhi during this period and on May 13, it directed that these people be given dry ration without any identity verification and that through some community kitchen, these daily wagers and needy be sent two time cooked food. But the state government has till date not acted on this, he said, adding this is why these labourers have lost their jobs and are not getting even one-time meal.
Thanking the Prime Minister, Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said the the Modi government has provided over 72 lakh card holders in Delhi 8 kg wheat and 2 kg rice and is spending about Rs. 400 crore for this.
New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi said that, on the one hand, the Kejriwal government claims the Centre’s policies as its own for taking credit, while on the other, people are being given adulterated ration by the state government, though Centre gives it pure ration.
South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri said the Kejriwal government has yet not implemented Modi government’s one nation-one card scheme which has forced people to leave Delhi at this juncture AAP MLA Somnath Bharti told The Sunday Guardian, “This is not the time for politics, but to join hands and work together in the event of an epidemic.”