DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday accused the TVK government of selling polished free ration rice as fine-quality “Sanna Raga Ponni” rice at Rs 30 per kg through cooperative outlets across Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to complaints from consumers, Udhayanidhi questioned the quality of the rice being sold and sought transparency in the procurement process.
“The government announced that fine-quality Ponni rice could be bought for Rs 30 at cooperative outlets to counter rising rice prices. But people across the state complain that regular free ration rice is merely being polished and sold under this label,” he said in a social media post.
Claiming that the issue had triggered protests in several places, he alleged that a TVK MLA fled when confronted by residents over the quality of the rice in the Cumbum region.
Udhayanidhi also questioned the limited reach of the scheme, pointing out that Tamil Nadu has 2.28 crore family cardholders, while the rice was being sold at only 250 outlets, with a limit of five kg per family.
Drawing a parallel with the DMK regime, he recalled that former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had introduced a special public distribution scheme through open tenders in 2007, when prices of essential commodities rose. The scheme provided palm oil, dal and pulses at subsidised rates, he said.
Demanding accountability from the government, Udhayanidhi sought details of the tenders floated to procure the fine-quality Ponni rice, the companies that secured the contracts, their supply prices and the subsidy being extended to consumers.
“When did this government float tenders to procure fine Ponni rice? Which companies won the bids, at what cost did they supply it, and how much subsidy is the TVK government actually passing on to the public?” he asked.
(With inputs from PTI)