'Rats ate crores worth of paddy'? Cong targets govt in CG assembly

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh assembly witnessed stormy scenes on Tuesday after the Congress alleged that lakhs of quintals of paddy procured from farmers had either been eaten by rats, sold illegally or left to rot, causing losses of up to Rs 8,500 crore.

The opposition sought a discussion through an adjournment motion that was rejected by the Chair. This led to an uproar during Zero Hour, when leader of opposition Charandas Mahant accused the Vishnu Deo Sai govt of gross mismanagement, corruption and administrative failure in the paddy procurement and storage system.“Where is this rat that can eat crores worth of paddy?” Mahant asked in a sharp attack on the government’s handling of the issue.

Mahant claimed that out of 149.25 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procured during the 2024-25 kharif marketing season, the food department’s own records still showed 22.71 lakh quintals as unresolved stock. He also claimed that the Centre had refused to take Chhattisgarh’s full surplus rice into the central pool, forcing the state to dispose of 1.83 crore quintals of paddy at nearly half the cost price. Taken together, he said, the losses had caused an overall hit of around Rs 8,500 crore to the state.

Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and other Congress MLAs backed the demand for a full discussion, accusing the govt of failing to protect farmers’ produce and shielding irregularities in the procurement chain.Replying to the charges, food minister Dayaldas Baghel rejected the allegations as misleading and defended the govt's record with detailed data of Krishak Unnati Yojana.He said Chhattisgarh was the first to effectively ensure a combined Rs 3,100 per quintal to farmers and insisted that the disposal process for the 2024-25 crop was still underway, with April 30, 2026, set as the final deadline.Baghel said that about 1.60 lakh tonnes paddy remained in storage centres and 67,000 tonnes at procurement centres — less than three per cent of the total procurement. He denied that the grain had been eaten by rats or sold off illegally, saying it was being stored safely with proper arrangements.He said cases had been registered against two centre in-charges and two officials suspended over irregularities.The opposition remained unconvinced. Congress MLAs began shouting slogans and trooped into the well of the House, with the Chair announcing their suspension