Delhi minister and BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Sunday threatened legal action against AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha over allegations of a purported ₹22,000 crore rice scam, giving them 24 hours to withdraw their claims and issue a public apology.
Sirsa hit back after Bharadwaj alleged a ₹22,000-crore scam involving the diversion of subsidised rice meant for Delhi’s poor, accusing a BJP-run Delhi government department, a corporation based in BJP-ruled Assam and an unnamed private firm in Haryana, also governed by the BJP, of being linked to the alleged diversion.
Sirsa gives AAP leaders 24 hours
In a post on X, Sirsa accused Bharadwaj and Jha of making false and malicious allegations against him and said he would initiate legal proceedings if they failed to withdraw their claims.
“I give both Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha 24 hours to withdraw these false allegations and issue a public apology, failing which I shall be constrained to initiate appropriate legal proceedings against both of them and hold them accountable for these malicious acts.”
“Apology or will meet in court,” Sirsa said, adding that the claims are “clearly intended to defame and malign” him.
“Such a malicious campaign appears to be their modus operandi. But enough is enough,” he wrote.
AAP alleges ₹143 crore weekly scam
Earlier, Bharadwaj, at a press conference, alleged that the Rekha Gupta government and an Assam-based corporation had formally approached the FCI for subsidised rice meant to be distributed among poor and needy people in Delhi.
According to Bharadwaj, around 31,000 metric tonnes of rice per week were sought under the arrangement.
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He alleged that instead of reaching beneficiaries, the rice was subsequently sold to a private company in Haryana.
“The rice, obtained at around ₹23.20 per kg, was allegedly being sold in the open market for ₹46 per kg, resulting in a commission of ₹23 per kg, amounting to around ₹143 crore scam every week,” Bharadwaj alleged.
He further claimed that the arrangement was planned to continue for three years, with the total value of the transactions estimated at around ₹22,000 crore.
Bharadwaj and Jha have said documents relating to the alleged arrangement would be made public. They also sought an explanation from the Delhi government over the procurement and distribution of the subsidised rice.
