Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the reason for resistance to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s proposal for home delivery of rations was the political-bureaucratic nexus with the “ration mafia”.
A meeting of the Cabinet was supposed to take place on Thursday to discuss the issue of “theft of ration”, but the top officer of the Food and Civil Supplies Department was on leave and the meeting could not happen, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
CM tweets
Later, in a tweet, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Nexus betn some bureaucrats n ration mafia is v deep. Many politicians from opposition parties are beneficiaries thro these bureaucrats. Thats the reason for stiff resistance to doorstep delivery of rations [sic].”
In another tweet, the Chief Minister said the government was committed to ridding the Public Distribution System of corruption.
Food Minister on leave
Addressing a press conference, the Deputy Chief Minister said that though the Chief Secretary had been asked on February 20 to submit a report on the issue during the Cabinet meeting on February 27, there had been no progress.
He added that the Cabinet meeting was then scheduled for Thursday, but the Food and Civil Supplies Minister had been granted leave without the permission of the Minister concerned.
“The senior-most officers are against the proposal. Now the CM has asked the Chief Secretary to bring the note in the next meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday [March 6],” said Mr. Sisodia.
Sisodia hits out at L-G
He added that the Congress and the BJP had stakes in the prevailing system of ration distribution. In addition, he said officials from the department were also involved.
Mr. Sisodia said Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal had said that senior officers would not be given leave without consulting the Minister in-charge, however, the Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner had been given leave till March 7. “I want to ask the L-G, why does he want to protect the ration mafia?” said Mr. Sisodia.
