AAP leader accuses BJP of masterminding ₹22,000 crore rice scam
What's the story
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Delhi government of masterminding a ₹22,000 crore rice scam. He alleged that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was approached by an Assam-based corporation and the Delhi government to procure heavily subsidized rice for distribution among the poor in Delhi. However, Bharadwaj claimed this rice never reached its intended beneficiaries and was instead sold to a private company in Haryana for profit.
Scam details
Bharadwaj claims Assam-based corporation was involved in the scam
Bharadwaj detailed the alleged scam in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He wrote that a formal request was made to FCI for "heavily subsidized rice" with a weekly demand of 31,000 metric tons.
The former Delhi minister claimed this scheme was designed to cheat the public out of ₹143 crore every week over three years, totaling an estimated ₹22,000 crore.
Profit allegations
AAP leader says vigilance department detected the scam
Bharadwaj also alleged that the Assam-based corporation was making a commission of ₹70 crore every week from this scam.
He said if this continued for three years, it would amount to around ₹11,000 crore in profits.
The AAP leader claimed that it was the vigilance department of the Central government which detected the scam.
Video evidence
Bharadwaj shares video detailing alleged scam
Bharadwaj also shared a video where he detailed the alleged scam.
In the video, he said, "The way the Delhi government and the Assam corporation were looting the people of Delhi, it was going to go on for three years."
He claimed that Manjinder Singh Sirsa's department wrote to FCI asking for 31,000 metric tons of rice every week to be sent to an Assam-based corporation.