BJP, AAP row over rising onion prices

The Delhi BJP unit, highlighting that onions were being retailed for around ₹75 per kg in the Capital, attributed the price rise to “the callousness of Arvind Kejriwal government”, to which the AAP hit back, saying that onions were being sold “as high as ₹160 per kg in BJP-ruled Nagpur and ₹80 per kg in Jaipur

New Delhi

National Cooperative Consumer Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) set up a stall outside Krishi Bhawan to sell onions at ₹35 per kg. (Vipin Kumar/HT)

After rows over monsoon unpreparedness, drain deaths and blame game over an array of issues ranging from the jurisdiction of civic bodies to local body polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday traded barbs over a kitchen staple — the onion.

The Delhi BJP unit, highlighting that onions were being retailed for around ₹75 per kg in the Capital, attributed the price rise to “the callousness of Arvind Kejriwal government”, to which the AAP hit back, saying that onions were being sold “as high as ₹160 per kg in BJP-ruled Nagpur and ₹80 per kg in Jaipur”.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said: “In Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, various qualities of onion are today selling between ₹35 and ₹45 (per kg). Until August 20, onions were being sold for ₹15 to ₹20 per kg at wholesale markets. Even in retail markets, it was being sold for ₹20 to ₹30 a kg.”

The BJP leader said that despite past experiences of spikes in onion prices post-monsoon, the Delhi government made no effort to keep a buffer stock of onion by undertaking planned purchases from Maharashtra or Karnataka in June-July.

The AAP said the BJP was spreading misinformation to create panic among people.

“Delhi offers the cheapest onions at ₹35 per kilogram among major cities. The people of Delhi are well-informed about their needs and have shown their trust in the AAP government under CM Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership by electing him not just once, but three times,” the AAP said in a statement.