JD-U demands CMs' meet to discuss drought

With large parts of north India reeling under drought-like situation, JD (U) national president Sharad Yadav urged the Centre to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers for chalking out an action plan to deal with it and review the unemployment scenario in the country.

With large parts of north India reeling under drought-like situation, JD (U) national president Sharad Yadav on Monday urged the Centre to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers for chalking out an action plan to deal with it and review the unemployment scenario in the country.

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"The country is passing through extra-ordinary circumstances. While several parts of north India are facing drought-like situation, ministers of the UPA government are giving contradictory statements about availability of food grains and on monsoon position," he said addressing a day-long meeting of the party's national council here.

Yadav, who was re-elected party president, urged the Centre to convene a three-day meeting of Chief Ministers for discussing how the situation can be tackled. "The government had not taken concrete steps to address the situation."

He said while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asks people not to panic saying there was adequate stock of food grains, the fact is that the Public Distribution System was in a bad shape and food stock in the country was not sufficient.

Yadav alleged that government had sold a majority share of food grains to multinationals and was now relying on imports of several commodities like sugar.

He slammed the UPA for "weakening" the nation's foreign policy and blindly following the US. "What was the need for the government to mention Balochistan in the Indo-Pak joint statement in Sharm-el Sheikh? This government has weakened the foreign policy of the country. It follows the US blindly," he alleged.