BJP mocks govt, sends Rs 32 to PM, Sonia to live for a day

Bhopal, Sept 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Madhya Pradesh unit has sent a demand draft of Rs 32 each to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in a mockery asking them to live on the meager sum for a day.

Demand drafts of Rs 26 each were sent to Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman and Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee requesting that they live on the sum for a day.

The step comes after the government's take on poverty, said Prabhat Jha, state unit chief.

According to the Planning Commission, those spending more than Rs 26 in rural areas and more than Rs 32 in urban areas would not fall under the below poverty line (BPL) families.

Calling the whole issue a "cruel joke of the poor", Jha said it was a plot spun by the central government to strip the poor off their rights from availing many welfare schemes.

OneIndia News