Along with Ms Banerjee’s note of dissent on the National Food Security Bill, Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar among others raised the issue of whopping
subsidy bill and cost of implementation. Sources said that since the food bill is largely drafted on the recommendations of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council and is also for fulfilment of the commitment given by the President in his address to both the Houses of the Parliament in 2009, trouble-shooters within the Congress would be taking up the job to bring Ms Banerjee on board. The food minister K.V. Thomas is also expected to seek time from Ms Banerjee to understand her point of view and offer clarifications.
The only member from Trinamul Congress in the Cabinet and railways minister Dinesh Trivedi could not attend the Cabinet meeting due to his parliamentary assignment, sources said.
It has been learnt that the West Bengal chief minister is sceptical of the process to identify beneficiaries under the proposed food bill. Sources said, the ruling party in West Bengal is of the view that the ongoing Socio-Economic Caste Census, which will give data on the basis of exclusion and inclusion criteria to be used by state governments to arrive at below poverty line (BPL) list, is not full-proof against political influences at the local level.