Pawar

Mumbai, Nov. 20: The BJP today asked Bombay High Court for a ban on the distribution of imported wheat in a move aimed at embarrassing Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

Pawar has been named one of the 11 respondents to today’s petition, which comes just when the Centre has invited bids for the import of 10 lakh tonnes of wheat. The petitioners have asked the court to appoint a committee to probe the sudden drop in wheat procurement from Indian farmers by the Centre.

The BJP had earlier run a state-wide campaign against Pawar, accusing the Centre of having imported poor-quality red wheat. The campaign forced the Maharashtra government to agree to withdraw imported red wheat from the public distribution system.

Pawar had denied the BJP’s allegations at an unusually long news conference on October 18, terming them “baseless” and “malicious”.

Today’s writ petition — filed by BJP leaders Kirit Somaiya, Chintaman Vanaga and Madhukar Khutade — also names the CBI as a respondent. Party spokesperson Madhav Bhandari alleged that the agency had “abruptly” stopped investigating charges against the Australian Wheat Board without giving reasons.

He added that the petition, which the court has admitted, demanded an immediate stop to the sale and distribution of imported wheat anywhere in the country.

The petition alleges that the wheat import policy has cost the exchequer an additional Rs 4,000 crore and that the import process is not transparent. It also wants the current stocks of imported wheat retrieved and destroyed, and compensation paid to those who consumed the wheat.

The petitioners have raised questions about wheat pricing and quality control. They have asked for a court directive to the government to reveal the details of wheat import procedures since 2005, as well as those of the action taken against the Australian Wheat Board.

Among the other respondents are the Maharashtra minister for food and civil supplies and the principal secretary of his department.

Pawar has, in turn, accused the former National Democratic Alliance government of emptying the overflowing food grain godowns during its tenure. He says the BJP-led government allotted large stocks of wheat and rice meant for export to traders at subsidised rates, causing the exchequer a loss of Rs 16,245 crore.