While claiming that poverty has declined at a much faster rate during the UPA regime as compared to the NDA rule, the Congress on Wednesday said “full meal at `12 in Mumbai is possible even today”. However, it conceded that there has been a price rise. “It is true that there has been a price rise. There is no need to cover it up, though the rates have also come down recently. But it is also true that poverty rate has also come down,” party spokesperson Raj Babbar said.
Responding to a volley of questions during the AICC briefing, Mr Babbar viewed “mahengai is a relative term”.
He was also asked about lower cut-off of expenditure limit to determine poverty and that how can the poor be able to have their full meal two times with a daily expenditure as low as `28 or `32 per day.
“People should have full meals two times a day. How one can have it is a very good question that you have asked. Even today, in Mumbai city, I can have a full meal at `12. No, no not vada paav. So much of rice, daal saambhar and with that some vegetables are also mixed,” he told mediapersons.
To a question about rising prices of vegetables mainly tomato, Mr Babbar said, “If we assess poverty by tomato, then it will be difficult. You may not be having tomato in cities but the poor people in villages will pluck a tomato and have it. Tell me whether he is rich or poor.”
He, however, clarified that he was “not giving the definition of the poor”.
“We are not shying away from the issue of price rise. Prices have risen but along with that the per capita expenditure has also risen... More than the ratio of price rise, our expenditure has risen,” he said.
Mr Babbar, however, maintained that he is not speaking in a “political context” and did not name the BJP or the NDA. He claimed that poverty has declined during the “Congress-led UPA regime” from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 21.09 per cent in 2011-12.
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Cong figures a political gimmick: BJP
AGE CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, July 24
Slamming the Planning Commission data showing a fall in the number of people living below the poverty line, the BJP on Wednesday said it was a “conspiracy” to deprive the poor of the benefits of government schemes. The party challenged Congress leaders to show how a person could survive on `34 per day.
“The latest report showing a reduction in the number of people below the poverty line is a conspiracy of the Congress against the poor to deprive them of the benefits of the BPL schemes. This is the Congress mindset against the poor,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. He said these poverty figures do not reflect the price rise and is just a “political gimmick” to show more people are now out of poverty by lowering the benchmark.
“We challenge the Congress leaders to show how one can survive on `34 per day... They want to show more people are rich by changing the definition,” Mr Javadekar said.