Samajwadi Party will ONLY support amended Food Security Bill

The Samajwadi Party on Monday said it will support the Food Security Bill in Parliament if the amendments, including giving due price to farmers and changing the definition of those below the poverty line, suggested by it, are accepted.

"We have made certain suggestions -- like farmers should get 100 per cent guaranteed price for their crop. We also want the definition of BPL to be changed so that more poor people are included. Free grains should be provided to the poorest," SP leader Naresh Aggarwal told reporters outside Parliament House.

He maintained that if these amendments are accepted, then the SP will support the Bill.

The bill is likely to come up for discussion and passage in Lok Sabha on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party maintained that the Congress is not serious about passing the bill as its own members are disturbing the proceedings on the issue of Telangana creation.

"The proceedings were wasted for a whole week by Congress MPs. This is part of a deliberate design of the Congress. On the Telangana issue, they want to have the cake and eat it too," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

The main opposition has said it will support the Bill, provided its amendments are accepted.

It has cited the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act as a model legislation on which the Centre should frame its bill.