Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Msh Sisodia on Sunday accused the Centre of intentionally creating a scarcity of onions in the city-state by not providing it despite repeated requests.
"People in Delhi are very sad about the rising price of onions. It is the case across the country. But in Delhi, the Central government consciously created a scarcity of onions. The Centre has stopped providing onions to Delhi government, despite repeated requests," Sisodia said at a conference here.
"When the onion prices started to hike, on September 5 the Centre wrote to Delhi government that they had 56,000 metric ton stock of onions and asked Delhi government to procure onions as required," he said.
"Soon, Delhi government intimated the Central government that it would procure and distribute 10 trucks of onions, that is, 2.5 lakh kilos at a subsidised price in Delhi every day so that the hoarding of onions can be stopped," he said.
"We asked for the provision of onions on a daily basis until December 9, irrespective of the written assurance of the onion stock in huge quantity, the Union Government has not released 10 trucks of onions, but gave maximum five trucks and 3-4 trucks on average per day that too not full, only 13000 -14000 kilograms of onions altogether," added he.
Further accusing the Centre, he said: "I want to ask the Central government why it has stopped the provision of onions to Delhi government? Where is the stock of onions that the Union Government claimed in writing on September 5? Why the Union government allows huge onion stock to be rotten away?"
Delhi's Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Imran Hussain agreed with Sisodia and added that the officials of the Delhi government were waiting for the onions to be sent by the Centre so that the people could be provided with some relief.
( With inputs from ANI )