Centre ready to provide onion at Rs 16 per kg: Vijay Goel

NEW DELHI: Amid the skyrocketing price of onions in the national capital, BJP’s city unit former president and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Goel on Wednesday claimed that the Union government is ready to provide onion to Delhi government at Rs 16 per kg. Mr Goel’s claims came after he alongwith Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana met Union minister for food and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan to discuss soaring onion prices.

“Mr Paswan clearly told me that the Centre can provide onions for Delhi at `16 per kg from NAFED but we need the Delhi government’s response for it,” said Mr Goel accusing the Arvind Kejriwal government of manufacturing the problem of rise of onion prices.

“The prices of onion in Delhi are increasing by manifold but the Kejriwal government is a sitting like a mere spectator. Viewing the situation, it is the Delhi government’s responsibility to store onions, prohibit black marketing of onion and to control prices. Despite the increase in prices of onions, the Kejriwal government has neither controlled the prices of onion in mandis nor taken any other step to control it,” alleged Mr Goel.

According to Mr Goel, in view of the onion crisis, the Centre has already stored 50,000 tonnes of onion, out of which, it can provide onion to the state government at `16 per kg.

“The Delhi government, however, has not procured onion from the Central government and is misleading people,” he said.