Hyderabad: Slamming the West Bengal government’s drive to delete ration cards based on SIR-linked verification, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday asked why access to ration cards should depend on whether a beneficiary’s name is on the voter list or not.
What is the point of Aadhaar authentication if the voter roll is being used as the deciding factor for providing PDS ration, he asked.
The Hyderabad MP said many people who were excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll are genuine voters.
“The West Bengal government has linked welfare benefits to the voter list and is now denying PDS rations and other benefits to people excluded during SIR. This includes people marked as ‘absent’ or ‘shifted’, and those who did not receive voter slips during the last election. But many people in these categories are genuine voters,” Owaisi said. “Why should access to ration or welfare depend on whether your name is on the voter list? What is the point of Aadhaar authentication if the voter roll is being used as the deciding factor?” he added.
Expressing strong disapproval of West Bengal’s current welfare distribution model, the AIMIM chief demanded an explanation for why voter lists are being used to vet beneficiaries. “Government schemes are not rewards for voters. They are meant for all eligible citizens.The
The move looks less like verification and more like an attempt to cut beneficiary numbers while making life harder for the poorest people, especially women, SCs, and Muslims. The government is acting as if these schemes are Prince Suvendu’s personal charity. They are not. They are funded by public money and are the right of every eligible citizen,” Owaisi said.
