Yashwant Sinha suggests all-party meeting to discuss poverty

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha said on Friday that recent remarks made by Congressmen Raj Babbar about eating a "full meal in Mumbai for Rs. 12" were utterly ridiculous. He also described the matter as laughable, with regard to Congress leader Rashid Masood's view that a complete meal can be had for as low as Rs. 5 near the Jama Masjid in New Delhi.

Sinha said it is simply shocking that Congress spokespersons are simply defending the government and belittling the issue of poverty in the country.

"The latest utterances of the Congress party leaders are shocking in the extreme. Because what the government is saying Rs. 28, Rs. 33, and the Congress spokespersons are justifying it. What can be more ridiculous? It is actually mocking the poor of this country", Sinha said here today.

Saying that it was a problem of great concern that the country has still not come to a consensus of the definition of poverty after 65 years of independence, Sinha urged the UPA-led government to call an all-party meeting to put the issue to rest.

"It is not a question of one party or two parties or the government of the day. It is a very serious national issue on the definition of poverty. The government should call an all-party meeting because this is a national issue and (the meeting should) discuss what should be the poverty line for the poor people of this country so that all the poor are included. They should not be excluded on a quota-basis, as is being done at present", Sinha said.

The issue of poverty has been much debated between political parties, after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hailed his government's efforts in poverty reduction last week.

Sinha is not alone in the criticism of the Congress spokespersons, as BJP's Vinay Katiyar had earlier said that the Congress leaders are living completely oblivious from the ground realities.

"If they go out and see what are rates of vegetables, onions then they would know the reality. These remarks that in Rs. 12 or Rs. 5 a person can have a complete meal, is just a farce and they are just trying to mislead the country. The hunger of the country would not be filled from these remarks," said Kaityar.

Leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party, Jay Panda called the remarks 'insensitive' and said that even the subsidized food shops run by the government do not offer food at such low prices.

"In fact, even the government's own subsidised food stalls charges more than that, so that is just factually incorrect and I think it is insensitive. I don't think such statements should be made just for political purposes," said Panda.

The plan panel had triggered a major controversy last year, as well, by saying anyone who spends more than Rs. 32 per day in urban areas is not poor.

According to a recent World Bank report, India has 33 percent of the world's poorest 1.2 billion people, even though the country's poverty rate is half as high as it was three decades ago.