It has now emerged that three-time former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had desperately sought to stabilise the skyrocketing onion prices in the run up to the state Assembly polls as she feared that it could lead to a crushing defeat at the hustings.
And this was revealed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at a farmers rally in Nashik on Tuesday.
According to the Maratha leader, “Onion was the reason behind the change of guard in Delhi. Dikshit met me a few times on the issue of onions and requested me to do something to bring down the prices of onions or else she said she would lose her chair. I expressed my inability to do so. The poor woman lost due to onion prices”.
In fact, after Pawar pleaded his inability to do so, Dikshit contacted Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, also from the Congress, to have an arrangement under which the Delhi government could directly procure onions from Nashik in bulk and sell it in Delhi. Pawar told the farmers that even though they got the desired prices, Dikshit lost her job due to the same reason.
The NCP chief was trying to make a point as to how he had always been supportive of the farmers despite the firestorm of criticism over the high onion prices. “People do not make a noise about spending `15 on a bottle of water, but they make a noise when the prices of onions go up,” said Pawar.
He also lamented that while he had been defending the farmers, who were getting good money due to the high onion prices, none of the peasants or their organisations came forward to defend him.
The NCP leader laughed off AAP leader and Delhi CM designate Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that he would bring down the onion prices by 50 per cent, within a month of his party taking over the reins in Delhi.