Sell vegetables in all ration shops immediately, demands OPS

The former chief minister said when tomatoes and other vegetable prices were high, it was reported that the government had taken steps to sell it through cooperative societies at nominal prices.

The AIADMK leader also said officials on November 24 claimed that after selling the vegetables in fair price shops, tomato prices had come down, and therefore, it will not be sold in ration outlets.

"However, on the same day,  vegetable prices were doubled with tomato rate per kilo was Rs 125 in the open market," he said adding that other than tomato, most of the vegetables were sold beyond Rs 100 per kilo.

Citing reports, Paneerselvam also alleged that selling vegetables in ration shops were stopped also due to issues between salesmen in the fair price outlets and authorities, who collected money from the shop keepers for the unsold onions last time.

"Ration shop salesmen have promised to cooperate to sell vegetables if the officials assure that they will not collect money for unsold veggies," he said adding. Instead of solving the issue,  not sellingvegetables in ration shops cannot be acceptable, he added.

The AIADMK coordinator said it would be the duty of the government to understand the hardship faced by the poor and middle-class people.

Claiming that though even at the peak of the Covid pandemic situation, the vegetable prices had not increased, the then Opposition leader (M K Stalin) demanded to control the price, Panneerselvam said "People were shocked now as a Chief Minister, there was no word from his mouth about the issue".

"Therefore, Stalin has to intervene immediately to control the vegetable prices by selling it in all the ration shops," he added.