With eye on polls, BJP sells onion at Rs 25/kg; raps Delhi government

New Delhi, Aug 19: Trying to use rising onion prices to its advantage ahead of Delhi assembly elections, state BJP on Monday sold the kitchen staple at Rs 25 a kg against the market rate of around Rs 80, and lambasted the city government for its "total failure" in stabilising the rates.

Accusing the Delhi government of "inaction" in controlling the price of the vegetable, Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel demanded immediate removal of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Harun Yusuf for his "complete failure to regulate the wholesale vegetable markets and take action against hoarders.

"It is appalling the way Delhi government first mismanaged the onion crisis and is now expressing its helplessness to control prices," he said. Goel said, "This is typical of this government which has been expressing helplessness on every front -- be it price rise, hike in power tariffs, collapse of water supply, lack of development in unauthorised colonies and JJ clusters and growing crime against women."

He was speaking after starting sell of onions at Town Hall in central Delhi at Rs 25 a kg. The Delhi government is selling onions between Rs 50-55 a kg at over 1,000 points across the city. "This government is so insensitive that it has tried to garner publicity and brush this issue under the carpet by selling onions which are rotten and not fit for consumption," Goel alleged.

Delhi BJP has been attacking the city government on the issue of high onion prices. It held demonstration outside Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's official residence at 3, Motilal Nehru Marg in Central Delhi on Wednesday. Incidentally, BJP was voted out of power in 1998 in Delhi following spiralling onion prices. The assembly polls in Delhi are slated for November.

PTI