Karnataka FCI row: Congress govt is lying, says Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 18 : Reacting to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's allegations that the Centre asked FCI to stop the direct sale of rice to states after the Congress government requested for additional sale of rice from the Corporation for its ambitious Anna Bhagya programme, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Saturday said that the State government is lying as the Centre's decision was decided four days prior.

In a tweet, the BJP MP shared the minutes of the Inter-ministerial committee meeting and said that the meeting suggested the decision of changing the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) policy full four days before Karnataka requested the regional Food Corporation of India.

"Sri Siddaramaiah is trying to mislead people of Karnataka blatantly that Union Govt deliberately changed OMSS policy AFTER Karnataka Govt requested for additional sale of rice. But these minutes of the Inter-ministerial committee meeting dated 8th June, i.e, full 4 days BEFORE State Govt requested regional FCI, show that the change in OMSS policy was already suggested in view of the increase in price of wheat & rice across the country. It also very clearly shows that the process to reconsider this policy had started way back in early May by inter ministerial committee, much before even the Karnataka elections were held," Surya said in his tweet.

"This clearly demonstrates the following: 1. That Congress and Sri @siddaramaiah

are blatantly lying to hide their own incompetence and desperately trying to blame Modi Govt. 2. That Congress wanted to pass on the Union Govt's subsidised rice scheme as their own and now, when caught in the act, are trying to fool the public. 3. If at all the Congress is serious about their commitment to provide 10 Kg rice to people of Karnataka as per their poll promise, they must procure 10 Kg rice from open market and distribute it in addition to the 5 Kg rice given by Modi Govt under the NFSA. Will the Congress stop lying now?" the tweet added.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had alleged that the Union Government was not allowing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to sell rice to the state to roll out its "Anna Bhagya" scheme which envisages giving Below Poverty Line household and Antyodaya card holders 10 kg of food grains for free starting from July 1.

The "Anna Bhagya" scheme is one of the five election promises made by Congress ahead of the Karnataka assembly election. In the State Five kg of rice is already being given to members of BPL households. Now through this scheme, Congress wants to enhance the free grain to 10 kg.