Tamil Nadu Assembly row over ration rice used as cattle fodder

What Happened

In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan faced strong objections after saying that rice distributed under the Public Distribution System was largely used as fodder for cattle and poultry in several places during the previous regime. The remarks were made while the House discussed the demands for grants for the Co-operation, Food and Consumer Protection Department on August 20, 2026. During the debate, DMK MLA R. Sakkarapani noted the existence of complaint boxes at Direct Purchase Centres (DPCs) for farmers to lodge grievances about paddy procurement. P. Venkataramanan, the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, rebutted that no such boxes were placed during the prior regime and that no notices had been displayed at DPCs about whom farmers should contact. He asserted that, under the previous government, paddy procured at DPCs was left exposed on roads in certain places due to space constraints.

Responding to that line of argument, Sengottaiyan said that ration commodities were used as feed for goats and cattle in multiple locations during the earlier government’s term. The comments drew strong objections from the Opposition. A separate exchange referenced that K.N. Nehru had been consuming ration rice, with Nehru replying that ration rice was beneficial for people with diabetes. Other participants referenced issues such as the quality of rice distributed and the logistics of transporting paddy to mills to prevent damage from rain. The discussion occurred in the context of ongoing political contention over food distribution and procurement practices.

Aadhav Arjuna, the Public Works minister, noted that even with free education, healthcare and rice, some ministers and MLAs were not using these benefits, while the new government aimed to improve the quality of commodities. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami weighed in by suggesting the timing of paddy drenching problems could be addressed by prompt transport to mills.