Bengaluru, June 13 : Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra on Saturday alleged large-scale diversion of food grains under the stateâ??s flagship Anna Bhagya scheme, following recent Lokayukta raids in Bengaluru.

In a statement, Vijayendra said a joint operation conducted by the Lokayukta at various Food Corporation warehouses in Bengaluru had uncovered the illegal sale of hundreds of quintals of ration rice and ragi meant for beneficiaries of the Anna Bhagya scheme.

Addressing Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Vijayendra said the government must take responsibility for the alleged scam involving the diversion of food grains meant for poor families to the black market. "The government must be held accountable for this massive scandal in which food meant for the poor is allegedly being diverted and sold illegally," he said.

Vijayendra demanded the immediate arrest of those behind the alleged racket, including corrupt officials allegedly involved in the operation, and called for strict legal action against all those responsible.

He claimed that as many as 35,000 bags bearing the Anna Bhagya scheme logo were found in a private warehouse. According to him, investigators also uncovered a network involved in polishing and repackaging rice before selling it in the open market.

"The discovery of 35,000 bags carrying the Anna Bhagya logo in a private warehouse and the exposure of a technical network involved in polishing and repackaging ration rice are clear indications of the involvement of senior officials in the department," Vijayendra alleged.

The BJP leader further pointed to the absence of CCTV surveillance in warehouses, serious lapses in inventory management and accounting, and the discovery of 860 undocumented bags of rice as evidence of what he termed administrative failure by the Congress government.

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka also accused the Congress government of failing to safeguard food grains meant for poor beneficiaries under the Anna Bhagya scheme, alleging large-scale diversion and illegal sale of subsidised rice and ragi.

"The rice meant to fill the stomachs of the poor is ending up in the hands of black marketeers. Congress leaders who claim to do politics in the name of the poor are allowing Anna Bhagya rice meant for beneficiaries to be illegally transported to private warehouses, resulting in a scam worth crores of rupees," he alleged.

Referring to a recent Lokayukta raid, Ashoka said another major scam involving the Congress government had been exposed. He alleged that hundreds of quintals of Anna Bhagya rice and ragi had been illegally diverted from Food Corporation warehouses in different parts of Bengaluru to private storage facilities.

The Karnataka government has not yet responded to the allegations.

/IANS