Cong party's decision not to field Priyanka against Modi disappointing: Arun Jaitley
New Delhi, Apr 25: Taking a dig at Congress, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday said he was "disappointed" by the party's decision of not fielding Priyanka Gandhi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after building up a "suspense for an eventual thriller" in the Lok Sabha elections.
Modi is contesting from Varanasi for the Lok Sabha and there were speculations that Congress would field Priyanka against him. However, the party Thursday again named Ajay Rai, a political lightweight who was a distant third after Modi and Arvind Kejriwal in the 2014 general election, as its candidate from the holy city.
"The build-up of the last two weeks had been that Priyanka would be fielded against the Prime Minister. She rejoiced in giving daily bytes to the media that she was ready to take on the Prime Minister. Her brother (Congress President Rahul Gandhi) claimed that the party was building up the suspense for an eventual thriller.
"Obviously, she quietly chickened out of the contest. I am deeply disappointed with the Congress party's decision of not fielding Priyanka from Varanasi," Jaitley wrote in a Facebook post titled 'Refuge in Wayanad and a Refuge Away From Varanasi The Story of a Family Dynasty'.
Targeting the Gandhis, Jaitley said the myth that 'Priyanka will make a difference' has been eroded.
Comparing developmental works in Amethi and Rae Bareli the traditional constituencies of Gandhis with Varanasi, Jaitley said, "The cards are out in the open for public scrutiny. The Gandhis must introspect the plight of Amethi and Rae Bareli in the last forty years and compare it to what the Prime Minister has done in Varanasi in the past five years".
Jaitley said several development works, including building of highways, arterial roads and modernisation of electricity systems, have taken place in Varanasi in the last five years.
Speculation on Priyanka Gandhi making her political debut from Varanasi was fuelled after Congress president Rahul Gandhi, to a question on whether he planned to field his sister against PM Modi, said last week, "I will leave you in suspense. Suspense is not always a bad thing."
Jaitley said had Congress fielded Priyanka against Modi, it would have given India an opportunity to decide the fate of a "tried, tested and successful leader" as against a "new political dynasty".
India is not a banana republic, the minister said, adding "It is only juvenile politics, where a family lives under an illusion that people will accept it irrespective of credentials, which persuades you to build a climax of Priyanka taking on the Prime Minister and then suffer the wrath of the anti-climax."
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CCPA asks FSSAI to probe claim of Nestle adding sugar to baby products
New Delhi (PTI): Consumer protection regulator CCPA has asked Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) to look into the claim of a Swiss NGO, Public Eye and International Baby Food Action Network, that Nestle was selling baby products with higher sugar content in less developed countries like India.
"We have written to the FSSAI to take cognizance of the report on Nestle's baby product," Consumer Affairs Secretary and the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) chief Nidhi Khare told PTI.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken note of the report and issued a notice to the FSSAI.
According to findings by the Swiss NGO, Public Eye and International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), Nestle sold baby products with higher sugar content in less developed South Asian countries including India, Africa and Latin American nations as compared to markets in Europe.
Meanwhile on Thursday, Nestle India had said it never compromises on compliance and it has reduced added sugar in baby food products in India by over 30 per cent depending on variants over the past five years.
"Reduction of added sugars is a priority for Nestle India. Over the past 5 years, we have already reduced added sugars up to 30 per cent, depending on the variant, " the company spokesperson had said.
Stressing that compliance is an essential characteristic of Nestle India, the spokesperson said, "We will never compromise on that. We also ensure that our products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and FAO) and local specifications (as required) pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars."
According to the report, Nestle's wheat-based product, Cerelac for six-month-old babies is sold without any added sugars in the UK and Germany but 15 Cerelac products analysed from India contained 2.7 grams of added sugar per serving on average.
The sugar content was declared on the packaging in India, the report said.
The highest sugar content in the product was 6 grams in Thailand. In the Philippines, sugar content was found to be 7.3 grams in five out of eight samples tested and the information was not even declared on the packaging, according to the report.
