Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Tuesday claimed that pulses are not sold anywhere for more than Rs 100 per kg, prompting a strong response from the opposition, which said the minister himself does not know the current prices of basic products such as wheat. flour and legumes.
Shahi spoke to reporters in Lucknow on Tuesday in connection with a regional consultation program to be held on July 19 on natural farming and agricultural sciences.
During this, a journalist asked if the government was saying that pulse production had increased by 33 percent; Just a few days ago, pulses were being sold in this city for Rs 200 per kg.
To this, Shahi replied, "There are no pulses, which are sold at Rs 200 per kg anywhere. They are giving wrong information. There are no pulses available for more than Rs 100 per kg."
However, in Lucknow, Tuar ("Arhar") daal is sold at Rs 160 per kg, Urad daal at Rs 145 per kg and Masoor daal at Rs 110 per kg.
As the journalists started asking questions, the minister (Shahi) was seen laughing and his colleague, Minister of State Baldev Singh Aulakh, was also seen smiling and whispering something in his ear.
However, he later said, "Look, our job is to increase production. I told you that pulses worth Rs 30,000 crore are still imported every year. Farmer brothers of our country definitely need to become self-sufficient in terms of pulses production." and oilseeds. We are working in this direction and that is why our production has increased... Otherwise, pulses would have been even more expensive."
Later, when contacted, Shahi said, "Moong daal costs around Rs 100 per kg. Chana daal costs less than that. There are many types of dal. He (the journalist) had asked me the price of daal, I I said. The price of Chana daal and Moong daal is around 100 rupees."
Meanwhile, the opposition attacked the government over Shahi's statement and accused the government of not being aware of the pain of the people affected by rising inflation and said that in the next elections, the people will make the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) be aware of the price of “wheat flour and pulses”.
Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, "This statement by the Agriculture Minister on pulses is a mockery of people fighting against inflation. In fact, the government itself does not know the price of flour and pulses in the market.
"In the next elections, people will let the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party know the price of 'flour and pulses' by voting against it."
UP Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi also criticized the UP Agriculture Minister for his comments.
"BJP leaders and ministers are far from the ground reality. They do not understand the pain of common people. They do not realize how much inflation worries common people. The condition of inflation is such that in the house where They cook the vegetables "The legumes are not cooked and where the legumes are cooked, the vegetables are not cooked," he explained.
He claimed that in the last 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre, inflation has tripled. Most of the income of the poor class is spent on food. Food has become the most expensive during the BJP government.
Shahi spoke to reporters in Lucknow on Tuesday in connection with a regional consultation program to be held on July 19 on natural farming and agricultural sciences.
During this, a journalist asked if the government was saying that pulse production had increased by 33 percent; Just a few days ago, pulses were being sold in this city for Rs 200 per kg.
To this, Shahi replied, "There are no pulses, which are sold at Rs 200 per kg anywhere. They are giving wrong information. There are no pulses available for more than Rs 100 per kg."
However, in Lucknow, Tuar ("Arhar") daal is sold at Rs 160 per kg, Urad daal at Rs 145 per kg and Masoor daal at Rs 110 per kg.
As the journalists started asking questions, the minister (Shahi) was seen laughing and his colleague, Minister of State Baldev Singh Aulakh, was also seen smiling and whispering something in his ear.
However, he later said, "Look, our job is to increase production. I told you that pulses worth Rs 30,000 crore are still imported every year. Farmer brothers of our country definitely need to become self-sufficient in terms of pulses production." and oilseeds. We are working in this direction and that is why our production has increased... Otherwise, pulses would have been even more expensive."
Later, when contacted, Shahi said, "Moong daal costs around Rs 100 per kg. Chana daal costs less than that. There are many types of dal. He (the journalist) had asked me the price of daal, I I said. The price of Chana daal and Moong daal is around 100 rupees."
Meanwhile, the opposition attacked the government over Shahi's statement and accused the government of not being aware of the pain of the people affected by rising inflation and said that in the next elections, the people will make the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) be aware of the price of “wheat flour and pulses”.
Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, "This statement by the Agriculture Minister on pulses is a mockery of people fighting against inflation. In fact, the government itself does not know the price of flour and pulses in the market.
"In the next elections, people will let the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party know the price of 'flour and pulses' by voting against it."
UP Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi also criticized the UP Agriculture Minister for his comments.
"BJP leaders and ministers are far from the ground reality. They do not understand the pain of common people. They do not realize how much inflation worries common people. The condition of inflation is such that in the house where They cook the vegetables "The legumes are not cooked and where the legumes are cooked, the vegetables are not cooked," he explained.
He claimed that in the last 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre, inflation has tripled. Most of the income of the poor class is spent on food. Food has become the most expensive during the BJP government.
