Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Mr Monteksingh Ahluwalia on Wednesday was the target of the Opposition attack, which demanded his sacking, in the Lok Sabha over the Commission’s definition of poverty.
Demands were made for the government’s rejection of the definition that pegged poverty line at Rs28.65 per capita daily consumption in urban areas Rs22.42 in rural areas.
Initiating the debate after an hour-long adjournment, Janata Dal (United) leader and NDA convenor Mr Sharad Yadav demanding Ahluwalia’s removal said, “Ahluwalia is away from ground realities. He needs to be removed as every time he speaks, things go wrong. He has never spoken a good thing. No one is agreeing with the latest data.”
He further added, “Shoot the poor. Give them poison. If you want to end poverty like this.” Leader of the Opposition Mrs Sushma Swaraj blamed the government since Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was leading the planning body.
She even appealed to UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi, who was present in the house, to reject the figures. She asked, “Is it possible to live, educate kids and feed your family with Rs22.50 a day in rural areas and Rs28 in urban areas? I urge you to join the house in asking the government to reject the figures.”
Calling on the government to be more realistic she said, “Come out with new norms that define poverty in this country realistically.” Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav too trained his guns against Ahluwalia. In a scathing attack he said, “People living in air-conditioned rooms” have no understanding of poverty in India pointing to an estimate that 65 percent of people were living below poverty line with no access to potable water and electricity.