Rice and wrangles: Karnataka’s ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme ignites a political showdown

Karnataka’s rice politics continue to heat up as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah levels accusations against the Central government, claiming it’s obstructing the state’s ability to fulfil its election promise of providing each Below Poverty Line (BPL) family member with 10 kilograms of rice under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
The Chief Minister argues that Karnataka isn’t seeking a handout, as the state is prepared to purchase the rice itself. The BJP’s state unit, however, countered by claiming Siddaramaiah was deliberately causing confusion. They reiterated that the Central government had agreed to provide only 5 kg of rice free of charge, and had fulfilled this promise.
B S Yediyurappa, a BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister, asserted his party would not tolerate any reduction in the promised 10 kg rice under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme. He stated, “we will not accept if the Congress government gives even ‘one gram less’.”
Siddaramaiah charged the Central government with politicising the issue. He stated that after the state wrote to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on June 9 requesting 2.28 lakh metric tonnes of rice, the corporation initially agreed to supply the amount on June 12. However, two days later, the Managing Director and the Chairman of the FCI retracted the agreement, claiming they couldn’t provide the rice.
When asked why he didn’t communicate directly with Union Minister for Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, Siddaramaiah responded that he saw no need to approach the minister after receiving affirmative responses from FCI officials. He expressed frustration at the Central government’s argument that he should have spoken to the minister, insisting it was merely an excuse.
Siddaramaiah emphasised that red tape shouldn’t obstruct programmes designed to aid the poor, and expressed his confusion as to why the Central government was hindering this initiative.
In response to queries about whether he planned to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah revealed his upcoming visit to Delhi would not coincide with Modi’s presence in the city. Despite this, he stated his desire to meet the Prime Minister once Modi returned from his overseas trip.
In the meantime, the Karnataka Chief Minister noted that attempts to procure rice from Andhra Pradesh