VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating that Andhra Pradesh was the only State that supplied onions at Rs 25 per kg, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government would supply them at the subsidised price in all agriculture market yards, apart from the 101 outlets in rythu bazaars, from Friday.
Intervening in the short discussion on onion shortage in the Assembly on Tuesday—the second day of the winter session, the Chief Minister said onion price in the States that had interventions was much higher when compared to Rs 25 per kg in AP.
“In the neighbouring Telangana, subsidised onions are available only in one rythu bazaar, that too at Rs 45 per kg. The subsidised price in the other States — Bihar (Rs 35), West Bengal (Rs 59), Tamil Nadu (Rs 49), and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 50) — is much higher,” he observed.
“No State has procured onions from open market to supply them at subsidised price and we are doing it in 101 rythu bazaars,” Jagan said.
The discussion on spiralling onion price rocked the Assembly once again, with the ruling and opposition parties hurling charges and counter-charges.
The death of one Sambi Reddy due to cardiac arrest in Gudivada rythu bazaar on Monday, became the focus of heated argument.
The ruling party leaders alleged that the opposition TDP was politicising the death of the 65-year-old.
Quoting the statement of the deceased’s kin, the YSRC leaders said the TDP had malafide intentions to defame the government. They played a video clip in which the kin was heard saying that Samba Reddy did not go to the rythu bazaar to buy onions, and that a section of the media insisted that they vouch for it as they would get ex gratia.
However, the TDP sought to know why was the government ‘forcing’ people to stand in queues for hours in rythu bazaars. “The government should rather supply onions through fair price shops,” they insisted.