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Journalism of Courage
Senior Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi accused Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar of misrepresenting facts on availability of sugar in the country.
“If the stock of sugar was there and the mills were full of sugar stocks,then how did the shortage take place?” Chaturvedi told reporters.
Quoting Pawar,the Congress leader said he had talked earlier about sufficient sugar stocks but now he says there would be shortage of sugar.
“Now his statement comes that there would be a shortage of sugar and due to (poor crop of) sugarcane,sugar will have to be imported,” Chaturvedi said.
Congress,however,disassociated itself with the statement of Chaturvedi saying it was yet to see it but said it was primarily the responsibility of the state governments to fight drought.
“I am not aware of it (Chaturvedi’s statement)”,party spokesman Manish Tewari said. Asked whether Pawar had miscalculated the stocks,Tewari said this was not a man-made situation.
“This situation is not man-made. It is a natural calamity. Deficient rainfall has been there…But drought management and calamity relief fall entirely in the domain of the state governments,” he said.
Tewari said the Centre can do little except energising the states and ensuring supply of funds. “We must close ranks and alleviate the problem of the people,” he said. The spokesman said the Agriculture Ministry has taken steps and the state governments too are taking them.
“Both should coordinate so that drought-affected people get relief,” Tewari added.
