Opposition Corners Haryana Govt Over Mustard Oil Cut and Delayed Paddy MSP Buying
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Political friction in Haryana intensified sharply on Tuesday as principal opposition forces—the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)—launched coordinated attacks against the ruling BJP administration, seizing on bread-and-butter public issues ranging from the withdrawal of essential rations for poor households to delayed agricultural procurement in rural grain markets (mandis). Defending the state's governance framework, Haryana Transport, Power, and Labour Minister Anil Vij mounted a forceful counteroffensive, outright rejecting opposition allegations as politically motivated and emphasizing the Centre and state government's steadfast commitment to welfare delivery and agrarian support.
BPL Ration Scrutiny and Cooking Oil Cut: Surjewala Targets Kitchen Budgets Amid Inflation
Leading the charge on consumer welfare, Congress General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned the sudden discontinuation of the two-liter mustard oil distribution scheme previously provided to Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders. Surjewala alleged that after arbitarily canceling a substantial number of BPL ration entitlements, authorities have initiated aggressive income verifications targeting roughly 39.89 lakh families across the state. The senior parliamentarian warned that withdrawing essential cooking staples during persistent inflationary pressures inflicts direct financial distress on underprivileged household budgets, effectively squeezing economically vulnerable families who rely on subsidized state distribution channels to survive.
Mandi Stalls and Gunny Bag Shortages: Abhay Chautala Demands Immediate Paddy Purchases
Simultaneously, INLD secretary-general Abhay Singh Chautala mounted an offensive focusing on the agrarian economy, highlighting that official government procurement of paddy had failed to commence across state mandis even by September 22. Chautala alleged that prolonged procurement delays, coupled with chronic shortages of packing gunny bags (bardana) and sluggish lifting schedules, have forced arriving farmers to face prolonged waiting lines or make distress sales to private intermediaries far below the mandated Minimum Support Price (MSP). Demanding instantaneous MSP purchase operations across every regional yard, prompt crop lifting, and direct payment clearance, Chautala cautioned that administrative inertia is aggravating farmer distress during peak harvest arrivals.
Vij Hits Back on Farmer Welfare and AAP-Congress Alignment: 'Congress Ship Is Sinking'
Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, Cabinet Minister Anil Vij underscored that the Narendra Modi-led double-engine government has institutionalized comprehensive security nets for the farming community, including expanded procurement at guaranteed MSP and steady annual financial assistance of ₹6,000 disbursed under PM-KISAN. Asserting that previous regimes failed to match the current government's structural investments in agriculture, Vij dismissed Surjewala's accusations as baseless posturing. Turning his attention to regional politics, Vij took aim at both Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), remarking that the BJP's active mobilization campaigns have rattled opposition camps whose public credibility has disintegrated, concluding that the Congress party resembles a sinking ship that neither allies nor voters wish to board.
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