The State units of the BJP and the Congress on Thursday held the Aam Aadmi Party government responsible for the rising price of onions in the city.
While Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra led a march to the Delhi Secretariat, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta, led a delegation to Raj Niwas to meet Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal.
Mr. Gupta said the anti-people attitude of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government and its failure to tackle the problem of shortage of onions was forcing people to buy the bulb for ₹100 per kg.
‘AAP did not listen’
“The AAP government did not listen to the Centre when it repeatedly requested it to buy onions for ₹15.90 per kg out of its buffer stock,” Mr. Gupta said.
He alleged that the government deliberately created an onion crisis by conniving with wholesale dealers. Mr. Gupta requested the L-G to order an inquiry and investigate the “onion scam” committed by the Kejriwal-led government.
“The AAP government, which flagged off 70 mobile vans on September 28 to supply onions to the people and listed 400 fair price shops to sell the bulb at controlled prices, abruptly suspended the drive, forcing people to buy onions at exorbitant rates. It is regrettable that the government kept sleeping for months together,” Mr. Gupta said.
Meanwhile, thousands of Congress workers — some of them wearing garlands made of onions — hit out at the Centre and State governments for rising prices.
Mr. Chopra said onions were selling at over ₹100 per kg, and that both the AAP and BJP governments were unmoved by the plight of the people.
“The AAP and BJP governments need to be reminded that the people of Delhi had thrown out the BJP government in the city in 1998 over rising onion prices. The people of Delhi need to vote out the AAP government, which has woefully failed to control not only the price of onions, but other essential commodities,” Mr. Chopra said.
The Delhi Congress chief further alleged that hoarders had created an artificial shortage with the blessings of the BJP and AAP governments. He claimed that the godowns “are full of onions”.
