AAP, BJP squabble over ration delivery scheme in Capital

The Aam Aadmi Party claims that the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to beneficiaries has been blocked by the Centre and the LG's office. The BJP denies the claims and accuses the AAP of misleading the people. The scheme has been in legal limbo since 2018.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday claimed that a proposal by the Delhi government to deliver ration to the doorstep of beneficiaries — currently in legal limbo —has been blocked by the Centre and the lieutenant governor’s office, potentially opening a new fault line between the AAP, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the LG, over the control of Delhi.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during a rally in Tarn Taran district on Sunday. (PTI)

Officials in LG VK Saxena’s office did not comment on the allegations . However, the Bharatiya Janata Party said the claims by the AAP were “completely false”, accusing the party of “misleading” the people.

The development came a day after the AAP government in Punjab implemented a similar ration scheme in that state.

Delhi has around 7.2 million ration beneficiaries, according to government data. The distribution of ration is currently managed by a network of 2,000-odd fair price shops.

The AAP government initially approved the ‘Mukhyamantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana’ in 2018, but was stalled after the then LG, Anil Baijal, did not approve it. The scheme was later floated afresh and was to be launched in 2021, but the Union food and consumer affairs ministry wrote to the Delhi government, raising two objections— the use of the term “mukhyamantri (chief minister)” for a scheme involving the distribution of food grains allocated under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and noting that any change in the delivery mechanism requires an amendment in NSFA that can be done only by Parliament.

In May 2022, the Delhi high court scrapped the scheme, holding that the decision to roll it out cannot be construed as a mere “executive” action as it did not have the approval of the LG. The court, however, had clarified that the Delhi government can make its own policy using its own resources and not those of the Union government’s, referring to the foodgrains that are typically available via fair price shops (FPS).

The scheme has been tangled in legal limbo ever since.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Delhi minister Atishi said, “The Delhi cabinet had passed the door step delivery of ration scheme in 2018, and this scheme was notified in 2021, but to this day, the central government, through the lieutenant governor has not allowed its implementation. Despite all our efforts, people of Delhi are forced to queue up in ration depots and face harassment. The central government and their nominated LG are not allowing this scheme to be implemented.”

Speaking of the scheme launched in Punjab, Atishi said that 1.7 million beneficiaries in that state will receive wheat or flour at their doorstep.

“In Punjab, there is no LG like in Delhi to stop all our projects. The central government does not have this much interference in Punjab and that is why people will get their ration respectfully,” she said.

Responding to Atishi’s allegations, the BJP alleged that ration often remains undistributed at ration stores because the AAP government fails to lift and distribute it on time.

“The statement by the minister is completely false and an attempt to mislead the people. The central government provides the Kejriwal government free ration for 7.2 million people, along with regular sales ration. For the past five years, the Delhi government has neither lifted both types of ration from central stores on time, nor distributed it on time, which is why ration often remains undistributed for two months in Delhi,” Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said.