'Sad day for Gujarat': Ahmed Patel on SC's intervention

Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Monday said that it was the Gujarat Government's repeated failure that the Supreme Court was forced to intervene and slam them for not implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA)

In a series of tweets, Patel said that the state, which once advertised its efficiency on Gujarat Model, has no explanation as to why it is delaying the rollout of NFSA.

"It's a sad day for Gujarat. State govt's repeated failure to implement Food Security Act has finally forced the Supreme Court to intervene. The state govt which once advertised its efficiency as #Gujarat Model has no explanation as to why it is delaying the rollout of NFSA," he tweeted.

He also said that the delay has denied the poor their rights.

"This delay has denied the poor their rights. I wrote to the CM seven months ago and have not received any reply," he said.

The apex court today slammed the Gujarat Government for not implementing the National Food Security Act, asking if it was not part of India or wanted to break away.

Taking exception to the Gujarat Government's stand that it had not implemented the Food Security Act since it had some issues with the law, an apex court bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice NV Ramana asked the state government to tell whether they believe in the Parliament or law passed by it.

The apex court asked if Gujarat was 'unique' and said its stand amounted to undermining the law.

The bench said if the court was to accept Gujarat's stand, other states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana besides others would say that they would not implement the said law because Gujarat was not doing so.

The court pulled up the Gujarat Government during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a non-governmental organisation 'Swaraj Abhiyan', seeking relief for people living in the drought-affected states.