Food security bill: Change it says BJP, junk it:SP

NEW DELHI: Congress’ efforts to secure support for the food bill in its present form have run into trouble, with the Opposition seeking radical overhaul of its provisions and SP, which lends outside support to the ruling coalition at the Centre, asking the government to junk the proposed legislation.


The National Food Security Bill is considered to be the world’s largest experiment in ensuring food security to poor as it intends to meet the food needs of 75% of rural and 50% urban households.

The Opposition parties asked the government not to opt for the Ordinance route to implement the programme. “It should be debated in Parliament and passed with some important amendments. The government should not issue an Ordinance,” BJP president Rajnath Singh said on Monday. The government is under intense pressure from Congress president Sonia Gandhi to roll out the scheme, which she believes will prove to be a big vote-catcher in the next elections.

Gandhi has convened a meeting of the UPA coordination committee on Tuesday for looking at various options for implementing the programme. But if the current line-up is anything to go by, Congress will have a tough task if it decides to take the bill to Parliament. Signalling a toughening of stance, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said the bill could not be accepted in its current form as it represents an “assault” on federalism and state finances. Sinha, who detailed his party’s reservations over the proposed bill, said it would also distort the agricultural economy. “Our procurement is not sufficient to meet the demands of the bill.



We will either have to go to the market or import grains for the programme,” Sinha said, arguing that the scheme should not be adopted without ensuring adequate storage capacity. The BJP leader also drew the attention to the opposition from state governments in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. “They have been protesting against the scheme as it will impose a heavy financial burden on the state governments,” he said.

Yashwant Sinha said the proposed legislation was against the interests of farmers as it could lead to “round-tripping” of grains. “If we push so much grain into the market, it will find its way back into the system,” Sinha said and demanded a debate on the “unknown burden on the finances” on account of the programme. SP agreed with the BJP’s view that the proposed legislation could hurt the interests of the farmers.

“The bill is being brought with the elections in mind. This issue should not be used for scoring political points,” SP leader Naresh Agarwal said. In Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his party’s support for the bill would be contingent upon a commitment from the Centre to bear the full cost of the programme.

“We favour the bill as it would provide legal food security for the poor but the additional cost for its implementation should be borne by the Centre. The Centre cannot transfer the financial burden to resource-hit states like Bihar,” Kumar said.