Congress’ Prescription for Poor: Meal for Rs. 5 in Delhi, for Rs. 12 in Mumbai

'Meal for Rs. 5/-'

'Meal for Rs. 12/-'

'Meal for Re 1/-'

Sheila Dixit must be ruing her Party colleagues’ prescription for the poor at a time when her government is gearing up to face the elections for Delhi Assembly just a couple of months away from now, in November 2013.

Rashid Masood, a Rajya Sabha Member of the Congress Party says one can buy meal in Delhi for as cheap as Rs. 5 while another Congress Lok Sabha Member Raj Babbar, film actor turned politician says he can eat one time meal in Mumbai for Rs. 12. Thankfully for Prithviraj Chavan, there are no assembly polls in Maharashtra in immediate future.

What has queered the pitch for Congress Chief Minister in Delhi is Dixit’s last attempt to retain power. She is already facing anti-incumbency since voters in Delhi are angry for more than one reason. Electricity tariff has trebled in Delhi during Dixit’s tenure. There is no control over rising prices of essential commodities including food items, milk and vegetables. Conditions of roads are in bad shape. The PWD spent Rs. 20 crores on de-silting of drains appears to have gone down the drain as frequent water loggings show. Now the Congress Government has been indicted by the Delhi High Court for its lapses and asked the government to fix the drainage system.

Here Delhi Chief Minister can hardly chide Masood and Babbar for making uncharitable observations on poor vis a vis meals. Sheila Dixit is on record of saying that to get rid of water logging on Delhi roads “pray to God that there is no rain”. It is like telling a patient that treatment is not possible better pray to God that disease does not strike you!

On the streets of Delhi particularly in areas like the walled city of Old Delhi or areas in East and West Delhi the roadside vendors will refuse to serve you two rotis, dal and sabji for Rs. 5/-. What you can buy for the money is just a banana or a samosa. Even a loaf of bread costs Rs. 15/- . I advise Raj Babbar to survive for just a week in Mumbai by spending Rs. 24/- a day for two square meals. Mind you Babbar has a declared asset of more than Rs.11 crores besides cash in lakhs.

Dr Farooq Abdullah known for his love for good things in life went off tangent when he says that it depends what you want to eat. You can eat for Re. 1 or remain hungry in after spending Rs.100/-. Well, Dr Abdullah please find a place where one can get anything to eat a onetime meal for Re. 1/ -.

Problem with these leaders and the Congress Party is their make believe world in which they live. Far removed from the harsh ground realities of how a person with low income survives in India, the ruling Party leaders find ‘romance in sufferings and poverty’ something that used to be attributed to the Communists.

On one hand the UPA is gaga with its Food Security Ordinance that promises to guarantee food for the poor, on the other hand its leaders are making fun of the poor. To ask poor people to find food with a coin of Rs. 5 in Delhi and with Rs. 12 in Mumbai is like rubbing salt on the wounds.

The ruling elite of the country are new Maharajas of India.

If you turn to pages of History you find in Eighteenth Century France how the people overthrew the monarch by revolutiion. At the height of the French Revolution of 1789, King Louis XVI was facing massive upheaval against the monarchy. The Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, enquired from her aides why people were on the streets. People are protesting against the throne; they are demanding bread; they don’t have bread to eat, the Queen was told. If they don’t have bread why don’t they eat cake, was the response of the Queen!

~R. K. Sinha