External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday refuted the claim made by the Communist Party of India-Marxist that the government had 'substantially cut' the quota of rice meant to be given to the people through the Public Distribution System.
However, despite the minister's denial, the Left parties continued to insist that there has been substantial cut in the quota in West Bengal and Kerala, in particular.
"The government has not cut distribution of rice for people living below poverty line. Yes, we have cut rice quota for those living above poverty line," Pranab Mukherjee told a group of journalists in New Delhi on Wednesday.
"How can he say that there has been no cut? The figures speak for themselves. Earlier the rice quota for Kerala was around 125,000 tonne, but last week it was a mere 21,000 tonne. Similarly, in West Bengal, the quota has been reduced to half," Yechuri said in response to a question in Parliament on Wednesday.
He demanded immediate restoration of rice quota for both the states and asked the government to delist at least 25 items, including wheat, rice, pulses, etc, from futures trading.
According to Mukherjee inflation had touched double-digit figures on many occasions in the past. During the then prime minister Charan Singh's time it was as high as 21 per cent, he claimed. He agreed with the government that this inflation is an outside phenomenon. "You take the prices of other countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh and you would find that things in India are still cheaper," he said.
