Uproar as Minister blames past govt for PDS rice quality

When Manapparai MLA Abdul Samad, participating in the Budget debate in the Assembly, drew treasury bench’s attention to some public complaints about the quality of rice supplied at fair price shops, state Food Minister R Sakkarapani acknowledged the problem and said that there were complaints of brown colour rice being found in the PDS supply. Citing tender irregularities in the previous AIADMK regime, Sakkarapani said the government would ensure that the quality of PDS rice was good. The Minister also informed the House that silos constructed by the previous regime were remaining unused even after three years and the incumbent regime has taken steps to move 1.85 lakh metric tons of rice kept in the open to facilities of agriculture marketing committee and government buildings.

Irked by the Minister’s charge, several AIADMK MLAs demanded the Chair to allow their former minister to respond. They also stormed to the well of the House to persuade the Speaker, briefly interrupting the proceedings of the House. State PWD Minister EV Velu, intervening during the debate, attributed the rice quality problem to procurement of paddy with high moisture content in the AIADMK regime and recalled a ruling of a former Speaker and said the House could not be run in time if all former ministers were allowed to speak. Seeking to know if they had permitted DMK members to speak in the previous regime, Velu read out the ruling passed by former Speaker Dhanapal and said the Leader of Opposition or his deputy of the party whip could speak, if necessary, which leader of the House Duraimurugan also reiterated subsequently.

Despite a request from LoP Edappadi K Palaniswami, Speaker M Appavu refused to engage the request of the Opposition.