Delhi CM Kejriwal unhappy with Law Min alleging 'jumla' potential in doorstep ration plan

Amid the row over the ration scheme in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has responded to BJP's allegations that the Delhi Government is under the control of the ration mafia. Retaliating to the allegations, he said people want to see such leadership at the Centre which is inclusive rather than fighting and abusing state governments.

"Today people want to see such leadership at the Centre which, instead of abusing and fighting the state governments all day, takes everyone along. The country will progress when 130 crore people, all the state governments and the Center work together as Team India," Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also questioned Centre’s objection to doorstep ration delivery scheme and said that Bharatiya Janata Party has become ‘Bharatiya Jhagda Party’.

'Delhi Government under control of Ration Mafia': BJP's allegations of AAP

The Delhi CM had earlier alleged that the Centre was denying free ration to the poor under the guise of lack of approvals. Responding to Kejriwal's accusations, the BJP on Friday slammed the Delhi Government alleging that CM Arvind Kejriwal-led government is under the control of "ration mafia".

Addressing a press conference, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that Delhi's proposal of home delivery of subsidised grains is merely a show to promote a "scam". RS Prasad maintained that the Kejriwal government cannot violate the Food Security Act, and fair price ration shops are at its core for the supply of subsidised grains to the poor as they are covered under the law's provisions and are accountable for any lapse.

If grains are home-delivered, people will not get to know how much of it is going where and how much of it might have disappeared on the way, RS Prasad said, while attacking the Delhi government for not implementing the "One nation one ration card" scheme and not connecting its ration shops with electronic point of sale (EPOS) machine to "evade" accountability.

"Foodgrains at the doorstep is very much a 'jumla' scam. The Delhi Government is under the control of ration mafia," Prasad alleged.

He asked why has Kejriwal not implemented "One nation, One ration card" scheme in Delhi if he was actually concerned about the people. Prasad said that until now, 34 state and Union territories have implemented the scheme and the only three states have not adopted it - Delhi, West Bengal and Assam.

Justifying Assam, the Union Minister said Aadhaar registration has not been completed in Assam which has been started after updating the NRC, hence the One nation One ration card scheme has not been implemented in the state yet. In West Bengal, he said Mamata Banerjee is opposing central policies and questioned CM Kejriwal why is the scheme not implemented in Delhi.

(With PTI Inputs)