One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics

SMART MOVES: Sonia Gandhi's letter to PM came after Pawar's concept note was circulated widely.

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New Delhi: The key focus of the UPA will be rural India and topmost on UPA chief Sonia Gandhi's wishlist is the every Indian's right to food.

But there are sharp differences between Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar and the Congress leadership over its implementation.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written to the Prime Minister articulating her vision while NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's ministry has circulated its own concept note. The problem is there is very little common ground between the two.

While Sharad Pawar proposes 25 kilos at 3 rupees a kg to the poor, Sonia Gandhi has added another 10 kilos to the poor man's kitty at the rate of total 35 kilos at 3 Rs a kg.

Pawar has slashed 61 lakh beneficiary familes from 6.52 to 5.91 crore going by the poverty estimates of 2004, but Sonia Gandhi choses to be silent on which poverty estimate must be followed. She however includes all categories of people.

While Pawar's not makes no mention of bonded, contract, or migrant labour, Sonia Gandhi has laid special emphasis on different categories going beyond the Rs 12 per capita expenditure per day limit set in the accepted poverty definition.

The Agriculture Minister has declared no enhancement of allocation for the children in anganwadis, lactating mothers, adolescent girls. In fact he proposes that parallel schemes which run for hostels and welfare centres must be stopped.

Sonia Gandhi instead proposes doubling the quota for children in anganwadis, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls.

Pawar proposes a food security allowance, i.e. cash in times of inavailability of food, but Mrs Gandhi emphasises on food grains and not allowance.

It is not even the Congress party, it is Congress President who is the key architect of the historic legislation, significantly her letter to the Prime Minister came after Sharad Pawar's concept note was circulated widely.

Congress spokesperson Abhiskek Manu Singhvi defends that by saying, "What is important is that the common strong vision that emerges at the end, not the internal discussion."

With just nine Lok Sabha seats and his co-rebel P A Sangma warming up to Sonia, the powerful president of the ICC is on a weak wicket.

The food and agriculture minister had never promised the right to food in his party's manifesto. He made a sorry admission in Parliament.

"Who comes exactly under the category of the BPL (Below Poverty Line)? In fact, all these reports of experts is definitely creating a lot of confusion, particularly in me," he admitted.

Pawar is looking at the food subsidy bill ballooning to almost Rs 60,000 crores from Rs 37,000 crores, the possible need for imports to meet the legal commitment of food.

Sonia Gandhi's draft is more inclusive than Sharad Pawar's but at three rupees for a kilo of rice, it is still more expensive than what many poorer states are already offering.