Members of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander, launched an assault against the Rs Rs 32/day Below Poverty Line norm suggested by Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
They have now joined Right to Food campaigners demanding the withdrawal of the affidavit produced before the Supreme Court or Montek's resignation.
On September 21, the Planning Commission had told the Supreme Court that the below poverty line (BPL) population in the country is 40.74 crore and the poverty line for the urban and rural areas could be provisionally placed at Rs.965 per capita per month (around Rs.32 per day) and Rs.781 per capita per month (around Rs.26 per day), respectively.
NAC members, Roy and Mander, have written an open letter slamming Ahluwalia for the revision - even asking him why he was being paid 115 times the amount 'he' prescribed.
"The affidavit filed by the Planning Commission in the Supreme Court skirted the two major issues that were raised by the highest court in the country: why there should be a poverty line that determines the BPL 'caps' and, a request by the bench to the Planning Commission to reconsider the poverty line. That the affidavit chose to repeat the stand taken by the Planning Commission in its last affidavit in May 2011 is, we believe, an affront to the poor of this country and also the Supreme Court," they wrote.
"The affidavit is a document, no less historically significant than the 'India Shining' campaign that brought the downfall of a previous regime, because it reflected arrogance and contempt for the poor comparable to the views held by the Planning Commission," it said.
"If Rs 25 for rural areas and Rs 32 for urban areas per capita expenditure was 'adequate' then it is not clear to us why Planning Commission members are paid up to 115 times the amount (not counting the perks of free housing and health care and numerous other benefits that is enjoyed by you)."
“The right to food campaign challenges you and all the members of the Planning Commission to live on Rs 25 or Rs 32 a day till such time that you are able to explain to the public in simple words the basis of the statement that this amount is normatively ‘adequate’. If it cannot be explained then the affidavit should be withdrawn or else you should resign,” the letter concluded.