Left MPs walk out over cut in grain allocations

The Left parties today staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha against recent reduction in allocation of PDS (public distribution system) foodgrain to West Bengal and Kerala. The parties also organised a protest rally in the capital.

The issue was raised by CPI(M) MPs soon after the Question Hour. "When there is a huge rise in prices of essential commodities in the market, the government has reduced supplies to these two states. In Kerala, the rice supply for APL (above poverty line) and BPL (below poverty line) categories has been reduced by 88 per cent, whereas in West Bengal, the supply of wheat to fair price shops has been drastically reduced by over 50 per cent," said CPI(M) MP Rupchand Pal.

Soon, other Left MPs joined in protest. CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta alleged that the central government deliberately chose two Left-ruled states.

He also charged the finance minister with not taking any step in the Budget to check the price rise.

"The price rise is a result of speculative economy", Dasgupta said. After protesting for a few minutes inside the House, the Left MPs walked out from the Lok Sabha.