Red wheat ruckus: Cong blames MP govt

Betul, MP, Jan 18 (UNI) Amid a flurry of political allegations and counter-allegations over the quality of imported red wheat, supplied in Madhya Pradesh under the Public Distribution System (PDS), Congress General Secretary V Narayanasamy today held the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime responsible for such supply.

''If such wheat was unworthy of consumption then why was the state government silent for several months. It should have returned the wheat to the Centre. Since the BJP is sans any real issue to sully the Centre, politics is being played over wheat,'' Mr Narayanasamy, who holds charge of this state, told mediapersons here.

The state government yesterday directed collection of wheat samples from every Food Corporation of India (FCI) depot in the state, official sources said.

Principal Secretary (Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection) M K Rai asked the Commissioner (Food) and the Managing Director, State Civil Supplies Corporation, to ensure that the samples were analysed in independent laboratories.

Protesting against supply of ''substandard'' wheat under PDS to Madhya Pradesh's denizens, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the Centre to supply good quality wheat. During a sudden inspection of the FCI's godown by Bhopal's Chhola Road, the chief minister recently took stock of wheat and rice samples.

UNI Team-AC TB RK2159