Now that the Parliament has cleared the Food Security Bill, Maharashtra home minister R.R. Patil, has said that his party chief Sharad Yadav was instrumental in getting the bill passed. Further, taking a dig at Nationalist Congress Party’s alliance partner Congress, Mr Patil said that “others” should not try to take credit for it.
Speaking at a function on Monday on the occasion of former tribal development minister Babanrao Pachpute’s birthday, he said that his party chief Sharad Pawar was the creator of the bill.
“Mr Pawar has been continuously working toward increasing the agricultural production in the country for the past few years. The Food Security Bill was his idea. NCP activists should tell people that Mr Pawar was responsible for the bill. There are parties that are bragging about it but their marketing will have no impact on people,” Mr Patil said.
This was not the first time that Mr Patil has made such claims. After the Food Security Ordinance was passed by the Union cabinet, he had maintained that the credit must go to the entire Cabinet in general, but the concerned ministry (agriculture ministry of Mr Pawar) will get the credit in particular.
“When food prices increased, Mr Pawar was held responsible . It is the government's decision so everybody will get the credit. But the concerned department will get more credit than others. But it is not being done for the credit. It is being done for the poor. People will decide whom to give credit,” Mr Patil had said.
Congress and NCP see the bill as a “game-changer” in the 2014 elections.