New Delhi: Describing the Food Security Bill as "historic", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked partymen to take its message to grassroots and prepare the people to fight for their legal entitlement. Maintaining that "nobody will sleep hungry in the country once this is fully implemented," Rahul told party leaders from states "we have given them a right. You prepare them to fight".
Rahul's opening remarks at the meeting of the PCC chiefs and CLP leaders of all states on the food security issue also saw a demand by party leaders from a number of states to name the scheme after Rajiv Gandhi so that opposition-ruled states could not appropriate it. The demand comes in the backdrop of two Congress-ruled states Delhi and Haryana deciding to implement the scheme from August 20, coniciding with the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. Rahul had left the meeting hall when the demand was made.
Leader of the Opposition in BJD-ruled Odisha, Bhupinder Singh, said the state government has re-named MNREGA while other opposition-ruled states are also taking the credit for the schemes launched by the Centre. He also made a demand to link food security with Aadhar number, saying ration cards won't be helpful as the poor keep migrating in search of livelihood from once place to another.
Punjab PCC chief Pratap Singh Bajwa said in the meeting that opposition parties implement the Centre's schemes with their Chief Ministers and ministers claiming all the credit for them. The meeting, which was also addressed by Union Ministers Jairam Ramesh and KV Thomas, saw demands for giving a greater say to Congressmen in its implementation in opposition-ruled states.
Rahul said Congress, after fulfilling committments like Right to Education, Right to Information, Right to Employment (MNREGA), Right to Identity (Aadhar), has brought Right to Food. "This is for the first time in the history of the country that any government is legislating to give a right to food to citizens," Gandhi told the participants.
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