BJP says not against Food Bill, finds faults in its draft

Says it was not responsible for the failure of the Bill being taken up in the last Budget session

Insisting that it is not against the Food Security Bill, BJP today said Congress is making "baseless allegation" that the main opposition party is blocking the proposed law, even as it faulted the draft legislation on a "lot" of provisions.

The party contended that it was not responsible for the failure of the Bill being taken up in the last Budget session, but the Congress' "adamant" approach to the opposition's demand for resignation of Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar as ministers following controversies surrounding them.

Both of them later resigned after the session ended.

"These days the Congress is making baseless allegations that the law providing food security to two-third of the population has been blocked by us," BJP President Rajnath Singh said at the party's National Executive here.

"The BJP is very serious on the issue of food security," he said. At the same time, he said that in the proposed bill prepared by the government, "we see a lot of objectionable things".

These were "no importance" given to the food producing farmers, "no guarantee of giving the farmer a minimum support price for his yield" and no factoring in of natural calamities such as drought, Singh said.

The Bill, being pushed by the ruling UPA, could not be considered by Parliament because of pandemonium created by the opposition which had been pressing for resignation of Bansal and Kumar.

The government is now contemplating various options, including a special session of Parliament or promulgation of ordinance, to ensure early fructification of the crucial legislation.

The BJP President said Congress should "admit its mistake" that even after 50 years of one party rule, two-thirds of India is still deprived of food security.

At a press conference, party spokesman Prakash Javadekar said, "We are not opposed to the Food Security Bill. We were the first movers on this aspect as BJP government in Chhattisgarh has already implemented such a measure."

"It is the pot calling the kettle black," he said, targeting Congress.