Guwahati, July 27: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today distanced himself from his ministerial colleague Nilamani Sen Deka’s controversial comment that a resident of the state can have a full meal for just Rs 2.50.

Stating that the statement was purely Deka’s individual opinion and the government had absolutely nothing to do with it, Gogoi said Deka’s comment was based on a “hypothetical” situation.

Deka, seen to be close to Gogoi, made the comment on Friday to some local news channels in connection with the Planning Commission’s latest report on poverty in the country as well as Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar’s statement that he could have a full meal for Rs 12 in Mumbai. “I do not want to comment on Raj Babbar’s observation. But I can assure you that that a family of eight persons can have a full meal for Rs 20 (Rs 2.50 per individual) because of largescale production of rice and vegetables (in Assam). Out of the Rs 20, a family can buy 1kg of rice at Rs 6 and they can spend the rest on buying vegetables and other items to prepare the meal,” Deka, who is the state agriculture and parliamentary affairs minister, told television journalists.

Gogoi’s reaction was in keeping with the line maintained by the Congress, which had yesterday distanced itself from Raj Babbar’s comment saying it was his personal opinion. Babbar has since apologised. Deka, however, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Deka’s opinion has drawn criticism from state BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal and his effigy was burnt in Lakhimpur. It also has generated sharp reactions on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Many have questioned how a responsible minister could make such a comment, that, too, on television. The minister’s comment has been termed as nothing but a joke, an attempt to get cheap popularity on television and ridiculing the poor. Many have suggested that Deka should set up a restaurant where he can provide a full meal at Rs 2.50.

The Planning Commission’s latest report said poverty, both in rural and urban India, had declined in the last eight years. But in calculating poverty figures, the commission used the controversial Tendulkar method to determine the poor that says people whose consumption of goods exceeds Rs 33 per day in cities, and Rs 27.20 per day in villages are not considered poor.

Sources said the commission’s report has categorised 1.01 crore of Assam’s population as poor. Percentage-wise, 31.98 per cent of Assam’s total population lives below the poverty line. This puts Assam in eighth position among the 35 Indian states and Union Territories in terms of BPL population percentage.

Gogoi, however, said he always had reservations about Tendulkar’s methodology. “I have not received any official report and communiqué from the Planning Commission on the latest poverty estimate in Assam or the rest of India.”

The commission, however, has come in for criticism from senior Congress leaders such as Digvijaya Singh and Kapil Sibal, who have questioned the criteria for determining poverty.