Chandigarh. Accusing the BJP of shifting from “vote theft” to “ration theft”, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday criticised the party for their anti-people stance aimed at depriving 55 lakh state residents of free food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The Chief Minister told the media here that out of 1.53 crore ration cards in the state, the BJP-led government in the Centre has conspired to discontinue free ration being given to 55 lakh poor. He said, making an excuse of not having Know Your Customer (KYC), the Centre had already stopped free ration for 23 lakh poor in July, and now they have threatened to discontinue this benefit from 32 lakh more individuals from September 30.
However, Mann said the Central government will not succeed in its evil motives, and he will not allow them to strike off even a single card. The Chief Minister said while the BJP claims to be pro-people and boasts of providing food grains to 80 crore people through the PDS, it is now attempting to cancel 8,02,493 ration cards in Punjab. This, he said, would effectively deprive around 32 lakh people of their entitlement to free rations.
Mann accused the BJP of shifting from “vote theft” to “ration theft,” asserting that it is especially unjust to target Punjab, a state that produces foodgrains to make the country self-reliant. The Chief Minister criticised the rationale being used to delete ration cards, which includes ownership of four-wheelers, government jobs, small landholdings, and income.
He pointed out the absurdity of penalising entire families when just one member may fulfil one of these criteria. Mann said as long as “he is the Chief Minister, not a single ration card will be deleted”. He dared the BJP leaders to showcase this “achievement” during their ongoing mass outreach programmes.
The Chief Minister also ridiculed the contradictory nature of Central government schemes, one offering gas connections to the poor while another withdraws benefits on the same basis. He said the BJP’s anti-poor agenda has been exposed, and reiterated that he has urged the Prime Minister and other Central leaders to reconsider the exclusionary criteria. He emphasised the need to relax these conditions so that the maximum number of economically weaker and underprivileged people can benefit.
The Chief Minister made it clear that the Punjab government will strongly oppose this discriminatory move and has already requested a six-month window to thoroughly review the matter.
He warned the Union government to stop treating Punjabis as beggars, adding that the people of Punjab are not dependent on the Centre for their dignity and rights. Mann asserted that Punjabis will not succumb to the pressure tactics of the Union government and will not surrender their legitimate rights.
