Opposition alleged the ‘rat’ explanation was a cover for the scam as paddy worth Rs 30 crore has either rotted, gone missing or been written off

RAIPUR: ‘Rats’ have become Chhattisgarh’s newest political flashpoint after managers at paddy procurement centres blamed rodents, among other reasons, for paddy worth crores of rupees going missing or rotting.In Kabirdham district, about 26,000 quintals of paddy worth Rs 7 crore were reported ‘damaged’, dried or missing from two procurement centres. Officials initially cited rats, termites, and weather as reasons for the loss, triggering a backlash from opposition parties which alleged a statewide scam in grain procurement and storage.The state issued a clarification, stating that reduction in paddy weight due to moisture loss and minor pest-related damage is a scientific, natural and decades-old phenomenon, not evidence of corruption. Officials stressed that paddy loses weight when stored in open due to evaporation of moisture, a physical process recognised across all major paddy-producing states.However, opposition parties alleged the ‘rat’ explanation was a cover for the scam as paddy worth Rs 30 crore across Kabirdham, Mahasamund, Jashpur, and Bastar has either rotted, gone missing or been written off on account of pests, moisture, and weather.Janta Congress Chhattisgarh launched a ‘wanted rats’ campaign in Kabirdham’s Kawardha, putting up posters across district. The party’s state chief, Amit Jogi alleged, “They are saying rats ate paddy. So, we have put up posters and are searching for this missing rat.” He urged people to tell the party “whether these rats have four legs or two.”As the controversy grew, BJP MP Brijmohan Agrawal added fuel to the fire with a sarcastic remark that the govt would “arrange cats for the treatment of rats” accused of devouring paddy. Congress pounced on the comment, calling it proof that the govt was trivialising large-scale losses. Former CM Bhupesh Baghel posted on X, “Guarantee of rats, good governance of rats.”