Chidambaram attacks BJP spokesperson on Purulia statement

"By issuing a statement blaming the Home Minister for an alleged discrepancy in the arrest warrant taken by the CBI to apprehend Kim Davy, the BJP spokesperson has displayed monumental ignorance," he said.

Chidambaram was reacting to BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman's statement, which held the  Home Minister responsible for the CBI  goof-up up and that his ministry was moving from one "human error" to another.

The Home minister said he would like the BJP spokesperson to check facts before making sweeping allegations.

He said the BJP spokesperson should know that CBI is not not under the administrative control of the MHA and the ministry concerned is Department of Personnel and Training.

Taking a dig at the Congress, Sitharaman said Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj is now a "history sheeter" in matters of constitutional impropriety.

"His conduct does not get a reprimand. There are sufficient reasons now to believe that he is functioning more as a Congress party agent than the constitutional head of the state. His position is no longer tenable and he should be removed," she said.

She claimed the crisis in agriculture is deepening. Fresh stock of grains and pulses have arrived at market yards but Food Corporation of India (FCI) is not procuring the fresh stock due to lack of storage space as its godowns are full with old and rotting grains.

"Andhra Pradesh is crying for help for paddy farmers. Millers and middle men are reaping their profits while the directionless attitude of the government continues. The ruling Congress is busy engaging in intra-party feud after losing deposit in the recent by-elections," the BJP spokesperson claimed.

Sitharaman claimed ministers in the Union government dealing with agriculture are not seeing eye-to-eye on whether immediate export of paddy should be enabled or allow the grains to rot.

"The farmers are suffering because the government doesn't know what to do with them. What a lack of foresight and preparedness. Incompetency and lack of political will to take decisions are affecting the heart of food security," he said.

Taking a dig at AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, she said if the condition of the farmers in Bhatta Parsaul moved him to react, "where were these general secretaries while its own government went on a trigger happy shooting spree in Kakrapalli in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district."