10-05-2007, 02:14 AM
Congress a Communal Party, This makes me sick <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Now a communal award for onions</b>
Pioneer.com
Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi
With elections only a year away, the Congress Government cannot risk tears from onions in the eyes of voters. With the prices of bulbous root soaring in the month of Ramadan, the Sheila Dikshit Government can ill-afford to let its Muslim voters do without onions. This has led to religious divide on the sale of onions in the Capital.
The Delhi Government has decided to distribute onions through mobile vans at the subsidised rate of Rs 22 per kg at Daryaganj, Jama Masjid, Ballimaran, Keshopur, Seelampur, Ghonda and Okhla (these are Muslim dominated areas in the Capital). The Government has also put up stalls at four mandis including Azadpur, Okhla, Keshopur and Ghazipur. Due to short-supply from onion producing States such as Maharashtra, which has been affected by rains, onion prices have hit the roof. It is currently selling at a rate between Rs 25-35 per kg in the retail market.
While the Delhi Government claims that there is no shortage of onion, officials at mandi say the prices of onion are soaring due to short supply from Maharashtra and other States. On Wednesday, 11,000 tons of onion have arrived in the Capital from various parts of the country.
Following the directions of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday night, both Revenue Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf held meetings separately of Agriculture Marketing Produce Committee (APMC) and decided to sell onion at subsidised rates. According to Yusuf, the Delhi Government is also planning to sell onion at subsidised rate from 300 outlets of Mother Dairy to cater to the common people of the Capital.
It would be pertinent to mention that Sheila Dikshit had constituted a price monitoring committee headed by the Chief Secretary to keep a close watch on the prices of essential commodities including vegetables and fruits. Even, the Chief Secretary used to hold meetings of this committee fortnightly but failed to keep a check on rising prices of onion. Either the officials have misled him or he failed to understand the trend.
Delhi BJP president Harshvardhan said that the BJP had faced the consequences of onion price rise once and now it is time for the Congress to pay the price politically. The BJP had lost Assembly elections in Delhi in 1998 when the then Opposition Congress cashed in on the onion price issue to oust the Sushma Swaraj Government. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hindus are second rate citizens in India.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Now a communal award for onions</b>
Pioneer.com
Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi
With elections only a year away, the Congress Government cannot risk tears from onions in the eyes of voters. With the prices of bulbous root soaring in the month of Ramadan, the Sheila Dikshit Government can ill-afford to let its Muslim voters do without onions. This has led to religious divide on the sale of onions in the Capital.
The Delhi Government has decided to distribute onions through mobile vans at the subsidised rate of Rs 22 per kg at Daryaganj, Jama Masjid, Ballimaran, Keshopur, Seelampur, Ghonda and Okhla (these are Muslim dominated areas in the Capital). The Government has also put up stalls at four mandis including Azadpur, Okhla, Keshopur and Ghazipur. Due to short-supply from onion producing States such as Maharashtra, which has been affected by rains, onion prices have hit the roof. It is currently selling at a rate between Rs 25-35 per kg in the retail market.
While the Delhi Government claims that there is no shortage of onion, officials at mandi say the prices of onion are soaring due to short supply from Maharashtra and other States. On Wednesday, 11,000 tons of onion have arrived in the Capital from various parts of the country.
Following the directions of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday night, both Revenue Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf held meetings separately of Agriculture Marketing Produce Committee (APMC) and decided to sell onion at subsidised rates. According to Yusuf, the Delhi Government is also planning to sell onion at subsidised rate from 300 outlets of Mother Dairy to cater to the common people of the Capital.
It would be pertinent to mention that Sheila Dikshit had constituted a price monitoring committee headed by the Chief Secretary to keep a close watch on the prices of essential commodities including vegetables and fruits. Even, the Chief Secretary used to hold meetings of this committee fortnightly but failed to keep a check on rising prices of onion. Either the officials have misled him or he failed to understand the trend.
Delhi BJP president Harshvardhan said that the BJP had faced the consequences of onion price rise once and now it is time for the Congress to pay the price politically. The BJP had lost Assembly elections in Delhi in 1998 when the then Opposition Congress cashed in on the onion price issue to oust the Sushma Swaraj Government. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hindus are second rate citizens in India.