NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre raised objections to the Delhi government’s doorstep delivery of ration scheme, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday has announced that the policy will have no name. While saying that he was “surprised” at the Centre’s objection, Kejriwal said his government is not the one to take credit on the matter and just wants people to benefit and the ration mafia to be defeated.
The Union ministry of food had raised the issue with the Delhi government’s food and civil supplies department saying food grains procured under the National Food Security Act can not be used for any state-specific scheme.
Soon after, a controversy erupted with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bhartiya Janata Party trading barbs over the issue. “This scheme is not to publicise our name. We are not coming up with this scheme to publicise our name. The Centre has written that the name of the scheme will make it look like a state government scheme. I want to make it very clear that we did not plan this scheme to get any credit,” said Kejriwal.
Earlier, local BJP leaders accused the ruling AAP dispensation of trying to take credit for a scheme that is basically run by the central government to get publicity. On the other hand, the AAP party demanded that the Centre should take back its directions because it seems they are shielding the “ration mafia”.
“It looks like they have some issues in the use of the word ‘Mukhya Mantri’ (Chief Minister). I held a meeting with all the officials and directed them to do away with the name of the scheme. This scheme will have no name. I am very hopeful that after this decision, the central government will not have any more problems with this scheme and they will allow us to implement this decision,” added Kejriwal.
The Delhi CM said that he has been working on this project for three-four years now and looking at it coming to a sudden halt due to the Centre’s objection was “disheartening”. “This is a personal battle for me. My fight with the ration mafia began about 22 years ago. Earlier I used to work in the Income Tax department and then I quit my job to work for the poor in Delhi,” he said.