Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 28: The treasury benches faced major embarrassment today when the legislators of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) gave vent to their anger over distribution of ration and it also led to verbal dual between Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution (CA&PD) Depar-tment Minister, Chaudhary Zulfkar Ali and PDP MLA in the Assembly during the question hour.
The House witnessed a verbal brawl between CAPD Minister Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, PDP MLAs, Muhammad Ashraf Mir, Javaid Mustafa Mir and Yawar Mir during Question Hour.
The opposition members including NC MLA Ali Muhammad Sagar, Vikar Rasool of Congress and RS Pathania of BJP also attacked the minister over implementation on NFSA and “depriving people of ration”.
Sagar took a dig at the statement of CAPD Minister and said that protests are going on across the state against the implementation of NFSA. He said that only three and half kilograms of rice are being provided per soul to the families on monthly basis, adding that these too are being provided at ‘exorbitant’ rates.
The NC legislator said that 27 lakh souls would be deprived of getting ration at subsidized rates in the state once the NFSA is implemented in letter and spirit in Jammu & Kashmir. In his reply the CAPD Minister said that out of the total population of 1.25 crores ration on subsidized rates would be provided to 1.19 crores in the state. He said that people falling under the High Income Group and holding constitutional positions would be left out of NFSA.
RS Pathania said that there is no ration in Dudu Basant Garh area of his constituency for last 4 months. He wanted to know the reasons behind it.
PDP MLA, Ashraf Mir asked the Minister: “You have created confusion among people over ration distribution. What criteria have you adopted to leave out families from ration as per the Act?”
Reacting to the observations made by Mir, the CAPD minister said that MLA Sonwar is desperate since he has lost his Ministry recently. “In Kee Haal Haal Mein He Ministry Chali Gayi Hai Isi Liye Yeh Aisa Bol Rahe Hain (he has recently lost his Ministry and it is due to this reason that he is saying like that),” said Zulfkar while pointing towards Mir. To this MLA Javaid Mir said “Ministry is not anybody’s property”.
As heated arguments ensued among them, PDP Minister Abdul Haq Khan pacified them all.
In his supplementary, PDP MLA Yawar Mir shouted to Zulfkar that 24,000 souls have been left out of the ration as per NFSA.
“What kind of criteria is this that a person having 80 kanals of land is excluded and another person having 75 kanals is included for the ration? Sagar Sahab is right by questioning the food law,” Mir said.
In angry tone, Mir said that all the ministers will lose their portfolios if the confusion and wrongs in the Act are not cleared.
As there was commotion in the House as Opposition and some PDP MLAs demanded discussion, Speaker Kavinder Gupta assured that one-hour discussion will be held on NFSA after presentation of Budget.
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