Narendra Modi government cruelly neglecting MGNREGA, food security act: P Chidambaram

New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of "cruelly neglecting" the MGNREGA and the Food Security Act, saying the two legislations were brought by the previous UPA government to put an end to hunger deaths like that of the three minor girls in Delhi.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a social security employment generation legislation which guarantees employment to the poor ensuring livelihood security and the National Food Security Act aims to provide subsidised food grains to the poor.

"MGNREGA was intended to put an end to hunger. FOOD SECURITY ACT was intended to put an end to starvation. Both have been cruelly neglected by the BJP government," Chidambaram tweeted.

The former finance and home minister said as long as there were children who tragically starved to death, "we have to hang our heads in shame and grief".

Three minor girls died allegedly due to starvation in east Delhi on Wednesday leading to a huge uproar.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragic deaths of the three sisters who were found dead in east Delhi's Mandawali area. The post-mortem report of these girls, aged two, four and eight, confirmed that they died due to malnutrition.

The three sisters were taken to the hospital by neighbours where they were declared brought dead.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter expressing shock and grief over the incident.

Speaking about the incident, Pankaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (east), said, "A board of doctors conducted a re-examination at the GTB hospital. According to the initial autopsy report, the girls died due to starvation and its complications."

The father of the girls is a labourer who has not returned home since Tuesday. The mother of the deceased is mentally unstable.