BJP colluding with ration mafia: AAP

The AAP on Tuesday accused the BJP of colluding with the ration mafia in Delhi and slammed it for welcoming the deletion of 2.93 lakh names from lists of ration-card holders.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also sought to question the Bharatiya Janata Party and Lt Governor Anil Baijal on the issue.

"It is extremely shocking that the BJP is defending officers responsible for large-scale corruption in ration distribution system in Delhi for many years," Bharadwaj said.

On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned the cancellation of ration cards, and said that Food Commissioner Mohanjeet Singh's decision in this regard - despite objections from Food and Supply Minister Imran Hussain - is "insensitive and apathetic", and would render over 10 lakh families hungry.

However, the Food Commissioner has maintained that rules were followed and ration worth crores of rupees was saved from theft. "This must be one of its kind exercise in India where the public distribution system has been cleansed and sanitised to the extent possible and will continue. I have recommended to the government the restoration of e-PoS machines."

Bharadwaj, on the other hand, flayed the BJP and Baijal for silence on several questions: "If ration cards were found fake, which employee/officer is responsible? When were such ration cards made? What action was taken against erring officers and the then Sheila Dixit government?"

"All these ration cards were made during the earlier Congress regime. Why is L-G not taking action against culprits?" Bharadwaj said.

"The Aam Aadmi Party challenges the BJP and their L-G to make public the action taken on proof provided by the elected AAP government," he said.

Bharadwaj said that there is "senseless talk about e-PoS machines without awareness about the ground realities about hardships faced by the poor due to Aadhaar and e-PoS failures.

The MLA from Greater Kailash said a large number of poor families migrated to Delhi from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for work and these people can't afford to spend time and money on updating Aadhaar and other documents.

"After failure of PoS devices, their ration was suspended and they were asked to submit proofs like electricity bills of their earlier accommodations. How can the poor people keep updating their Aadhaar cards and other documents while they change their rented accommodation every 1-2 years? The BJP should understand such practical difficulties."

Reiterating Kejriwal's stand, Bharadwaj said that it was the responsibility of Food Commissioner's officials to conduct door-to-door survey to ensure genuine ration card beneficiaries were not denied their right.

--IANS

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