Ready to give full credit to Centre for doorstep ration delivery scheme: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that the Centre was unnecessarily stalling the doorstep delivery of ration scheme announced by his government and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow it for the benefit of 70 lakh people in Delhi.

Speaking exclusively to Zee News, Kejriwal said that he is ready to accept all demands of the Centre if it allows the implementation of the doorstep delivery of ration scheme in Delhi.

"Our sole intention is to help nearly 70 lakh ration card holders in Delhi who need help since most of them are not coming out to take ration fearing coronavirus infection. In such a situation, it is my duty to help them. I want to reiterate that we are ready to accept all the demands of the Centre for the implementation of the scheme,’’ Kejriwal said.

The AAP chief also rubbished the BJP’s claim that the scheme was announced for political mileage. “We don’t want to take any credit for launching the scheme. I will shout from the rooftop to tell people that the doorstep ration delivery scheme was launched by PM Narendra Modi Ji. We just want to help people of Delhi,’’ CM Kejriwal said.

Reacting to baseless allegations made by senior BJP leaders who called about the ration-delivery scheme a big scam, Kejriwal said, "If pizza, burgers, smartphones and clothes can be delivered at home, then why can't ration be delivered at their doorstep."

While speaking to Zee News, Delhi Chief Minister alleged that the Centre was fighting with everyone, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra, Delhi and Jharkhand governments, farmers and the people of Lakshadweep.

"People are distressed that the central government is fighting with everyone. If we fight like this, how will we tackle COVID-19 and other problems facing the people,” the Chief Minister said. He added, that “The Delhi government did not require the Centre's approval for the implementation of the scheme, but it still sought permission five times to avoid any dispute." 

Referring to PM Modi, Kejriwal said, "The Centre objected that Delhi government`s doorstep ration scheme cannot be implemented in the name of ‘mukhyamantri ghar ghar ration yojana`, then we decided not to give any name to this scheme. You again stopped this important scheme saying the Delhi government has not taken the Centre`s approval. Sir, in the last few months, I have written 5 letters to you to seek your approval to run this scheme. Now what kind of approval the Delhi government needs from the Centre?"

Kejriwal said the Centre had put the scheme on hold a couple of days before it was supposed to launch across the national capital. He said that all the process to launch the scheme was completed, tenders were issued and the Delhi government was ready to run the scheme in the next one or two days, however, it was stopped by the Centre again.

He claimed that the Centre had not said anything in writing while opposing the ration delivery scheme. Explaining the objective behind the launching of the doorstep ration delivery scheme, the AAP chief said, “the scheme will finish the powerful ration mafia in Delhi.”

"If you stand with the ration mafia, who will stand with the poor people," the chief minister said, adding that the scheme was intended to benefit 72 lakh people in the national capital. CM Kejriwal, while targeting the Centre, said that it backtracked from its duty on vaccination and said that due to inadequate supply of COVID vaccines, several states had to halt the vaccination drive.  

The Delhi government had on Saturday claimed that the doorstep delivery of ration scheme was rejected by the Lt Governor, saying the Centre's approval was not sought and that a PIL was pending in the high court regarding it.

However, the BJP termed the Delhi government`s ambitious doorstep delivery of ration scheme as a scam and said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should stop the drama to cover up his government`s failure.

Addressing a virtual press conference, BJP`s national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "Arvind Kejriwal has spoken in such a way that the people of Delhi are being denied their rights by the Centre, but which is not true. The ration is provided to the needy in the national capital through the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)."

Patra pointed out that under the PMGKAY, 72,782 metric tonnes of food grains have been sent to Delhi over and above the fixed quota for May and till June 5. Soon after that, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia stated that the BJP wants to continue doing corruption similar to the Congress`s rule by not allowing the launch of the scheme.

"I believe, he (Patra) wanted to say that Aam Admi Party (AAP) should not point towards the corruption in the ration distribution. BJP will continue doing corruption as Congress did in its 70 years of rule," Sisodia said.

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