The Election Commission on Friday night gave its nod to the Delhi Government’s proposal to buy onions, prices of which have soared in recent weeks causing anxiety to the ruling Congress with Assembly elections round the corner, and sell the kitchen staple at a cheaper rate.
Responding to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s request to the Commission for permission to sell onions in Delhi to check the spiralling prices, the poll body gave its nod to the proposal.
She had proposed that onions be brought from Nashik.
The Chief Minister had said that her government will not provide any subsidy on onions and will only bring onions from Nashik to increase supply and help reduce prices.
Senior Delhi Government officials on Friday reached the Lasalgaon wholesale onion market in Nashik to buy the vegetable for distribution in Delhi. The Lasalgaon market is considered India’s largest onion market.
The Aam Aadmi Party has demanded immediate steps be taken against the hoarding of onion, which has led to the vegetable being sold as high as Rs. 100 per kg in the city.
The party had earlier questioned the “inaction” by the Delhi Government in providing relief to the common man. It too had proposed that onions be brought immediately from Pune and Nashik to help the people.
“The wholesale price of onion in Delhi is reportedly around Rs.50 per kg and so the retail price should not be more than Rs.60 per kg. In Mumbai, the difference between wholesale price [Rs.53 per kg] and retail price [Rs.61 per kg] is only Rs.8, which is much less when compared with Delhi. Here, it is over Rs.30 per kg,” said the AAP in a statement earlier in the day.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said: “The price of onion at Rs.100 per kg is not natural but artificially created. The common man is suffering due to the collusion between traders and suppliers. ”
