Raj Babbar attacks BJP, says he can have meal for Rs 12

Congress leader Raj Babbar hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the poverty figure debate and said he can have a proper meal for Rs 12 in Mumbai. "Even today, I can have a proper meal in Mumbai for Rs 12," Babbar said.

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The Congress leader remarks came in the backdrop of the BJP slamming the UPA government for its statement that the poverty figures have gone down in 2012-13 as opposed to figures in 2002-03. Delhi BJP President had even sent a money order of Rs 33 to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday.

He had challenged the trio to buy a meal for Rs 33 and said that the Congress has changed the definition of poverty ahead of polls.
 
He had said this was the BJP's way of protesting against Planning Commission's criteria that anybody whose consumption of goods and services exceed Rs 33 in cities per day was not poor.

"We strongly condemn the twisted figures used by the Planning Commission of India to claim shrinking of poverty in the country. The criterion taken as a poverty line benchmark in the urban centres is laughable," Goel had said.

He had said he has sent a money order of Rs 33 to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too.

"I am challenging them to try and spend a single day on Rs 33 if that is what is the benchmark for poverty line. It is yet another cruel joke by this insensitive government. I do not think that anyone in right frame of mind can agree to government's calculation that Rs 33 per day is enough for an individual to live in a city like Delhi," he had said.

As per Planning Commission, the number of people living below the poverty line has shrunk to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 on account of increase in per capita consumption.

With inputs from agencies