New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday asked the government whether the tonnes of foodgrain found unsuitable for use in laboratory tests were being supplied to the poor.

According to BJP secretary Kirit Somaiya, Food Corporation of India's (FCI) Institute of Food Security in Gurgaon had informed him in a Right to Information (RTI) query that 95 of the 285 rice samples taken between Jan 1, 2009 and July 31, 2010, were found "beyond rejection limit."

"These samples cover lakhs of tonnes of foodgrain. If so much stock had been rejected, where has it gone? The rejected stock does not fit PDS (Public Distribution System) norms. Have they been mixed," Somaiya asked, alleging that the poor were being given inferior quality foodgrain.

He said 42 of 72 wheat samples, and one sample of paddy were rejected as well.

He said the BJP will intervene in the public interest litigation being heard in the Supreme Court on corruption in the PDS and rotting foodgrain in government godowns.

Somaiya said FCI Haryana informed him in another RTI application that out of the 64 lakh tonnes of wheat lying with the FCI central pool in Haryana, 50 lakh tonnes were lying in the open.

In March 2008, FCI had said the amount was only 1 lakh tonnes, Somaiya claimed.

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