Somaiya launches fresh assault on govt

MUMBAI: Emboldened by the Maharashtra government’s decision to recall 1775 tonnes of rotten wheat from the public distribution system (PDS), former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on Friday levelled fresh charges against the government and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

Mr Somaiya said the decision to recall rotten wheat vindicated the BJP’s stand that red-wheat was unfit for human consumption. By ordering recall the government has admitted that it had even sold unhygienic quality wheat to people.

Mr Somaiya alleged that the government had sold around 50,000 tonnes of rotten wheat through the public distribution system across the country. “In Maharashtra, the government has recalled only 1775 tonnes when it has actually pumped in 25,000 tonnes into the PDS shops.

The remaining quantity of 23,225 tonnes has been sold in districts of Thane, Nashik, Ratnagiri, Dhule, and Nandurbar. Most of these districts have a sizeable tribal population and the rotten wheat has been sold to them,” charged Mr Somaiya. Elsewhere in the country, the government had sold another 25,000 tonnes of rotten wheat through the PDS, he alleged.

The BJP has demanded that the UPA government make public information like the quantity of wheat imported, the cost incurred for imports so far, names of the companies that had imported the commodity, and the countries from which the consignments landed in India.

“Mr Pawar and the government owe an explanation to the people on the entire wheat import issue,” Mr Somaiya said. When asked about an explanatory letter Mr Pawar had written to all MPs last month, Mr Somaiya said the letter raised more questions than it answered. “He has not replied to any of the claims the BJP has been making on this issue with full responsibility and substantial documentary evidence,” he said.

The BJP leader also charged that the union food and civil supplies ministry had awarded wheat import tender to the same two companies whose bid it had rejected before. “In May-June this year, the ministry rejected the bid filed by the two companies for US $ 265-267 per tonne which works out to Rs 10.60-10.67 per kg. But in August 2007, the same two companies were awarded the import contract for $390-397 which comes to Rs 15.80-16.20 per kg.

Also, though the tender was for import of 5 lakh tonnes, the actual order awarded to these two companies in August was for 7.9 lakh tonnes,” Mr Somaiya alleged. The BJP has sought to know the names of intermediaries who it claims facilitated the import contract for these companies.

Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to put the issue of wheat import on agenda for its state executive meeting beginning October 21 at Aurangabad, said party spokesperson Madhav Bhandari. Mr Bhandari said the party would chalk out a strategy for a massive public stir on the issue. Asked about the NCP’s reaction that the BJP’s offensive had not helped the party win votes in the recent by-polls to municipal corporations in the state, Mr Bhandari retorted saying that by-polls to civic bodies were fought on local issues.

“Instead of talking trivia, the NCP needs to respond to our charges. It has not responded to a single query so far including the very basic question about the need for import when the domestic production was actually surplus. NCP should also get ready to face the public agitation that we would soon launch,” Mr Bhandari added.