DMK has placed firm plea on pricing of rice, says Karuna

Karunanidhi had said on August 11 that his party will oppose Food Security Bill in its present form

A day after his archrival and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa sought his stand on the Food Security Bill, which she has dubbed as against people of Tamil Nadu, DMK President M Karunanidhi today said his party has put up a fresh demand on the pricing of rice allocated to the state.

In a statement, he noted that the amendment proposed by DMK Parliamentary Party Leader T R Baalu earlier on ensuring no change in existing allocation of rice to the state had been accepted.

However, on the issue of allocation of 21.88 lakh tonnes of rice at Rs 3 per kg and the rest 14.90 lakh tonnes to the state at a price fixed by Centre, the party had made a 'firm plea' on August 21 for continuing allocation of rice at the existing rate of Rs 8.30 per kg, he said.

"Baalu has placed a firm plea with Union Minister of State for Food, K V Thomas, that DMK will not accept Centre itself fixing a price for the 14.90 lakh tonnes of rice and that it should make it clear that rice will be continued to be provided at the existing rate of Rs 8.30," he said.

While Karunanidhi did not explicitly state the party's final stand on the Food Bill, being taken up by Lok Sabha today, he prefaced his statement saying "I have already clarified DMK's stand" on the matter.

He had said on August 11 that his party will oppose Food Security Bill in its present form, extending support only if it incorporated all the important amendments sought by various political parties.

"If the Bill comes with all the important amendments as sought by various political parties, then DMK will support it. If the Centre is firm on bringing it in the present form, without making any amendments, then DMK will oppose it," he had said.

Jayalalithaa has announced that her party, which has nine members in Lok Sabha, will not vote in favour of the Food Security Bill as most of the amendments she suggested had not been incorporated.

Raising the issue of pricing of rice, she had also opposed the Centre fixing the price for 14.90 lakh tonnes.

"This is not acceptable. It will be fair if the entire 36.78 lakh tonnes of (the state's annual quota of rice) was allotted at Rs 3 per kg," she said.

She said the bill was still against the people of the state and asked Karunanidhi to spell out DMK's stand.

DMK, a former UPA ally, has 18 Lok Sabha members.