AAP blames central govt for onion prices

NEWDELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government, alleging that “an unholy nexus” between the party and black marketeers had led to soaring onion prices in Delhi. Onion prices increased from ₹40-50/kg to nearly ₹100/kg over the past few days.

“When farmers go to sell onions in the market, they get ₹2-3/kg for their produce. Hoarders and black marketeers buy onions at this price, hoard stock and sell it at ₹100/kg when stock goes down in the market. This is possible only because black marketeers get support from the central government,” Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

He also questioned the reason behind selling onion to Delhi government at a higher rate when the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), the apex organisation of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce, has proposed a subsidised price.

“Delhi government was selling onion to the people of Delhi at ₹23.90 per kg. But to stop this, the Centre increased the rate of onion from ₹15/kg to ₹60/kg, even as 32,000 tonnes of onion reportedly rotted in government godowns,” the Rajya Sabha MP said at a press conference on Saturday.

The attack comes two days after the Delhi government requested the Centre to resume supplying onions to the national capital at ₹15.60/kg instead of ₹60 as recently conveyed by the Union consumer affairs ministry.

BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta however blamed the Delhi government for the crisis. “Public distribution is the Delhi government’s responsibility. Their governance is a failure. If a food item is expensive and the state wants to subsidise it, it is their job. But what we are seeing in Delhi, is just confrontation politics and blame game.”