Former chief minister and leader of the opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has launched a scathing attack against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, accusing it of betraying the poor in the state. Hooda alleged that the BJP secured votes by issuing ration cards during the elections and is now arbitrarily cancelling them, leaving thousands of families in distress.
Hooda's Visit to Kurukshetra and Allegations
Hooda was in Kurukshetra to offer condolences to the families of former minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha's wife and MLA Ramkaran Kala's elder brother, who recently passed away. Speaking to reporters after paying his respects, he highlighted what he termed as a great injustice committed by the BJP government in the name of Family IDs.
Statistics on Ration Card Cancellations
According to Hooda, ration cards of 70,000 families were cancelled in the last six months alone due to minor errors in names, ages, and other details. He emphasized that this is not just a statistic but a painful story of snatching food from the plates of thousands of poor families. Earlier, Haryana topped the entire country by cancelling approximately 14 lakh ration cards, he added.
Impact on Pensions and Government Services
Hooda pointed out that pensions are being stopped due to minor errors in Family IDs, forcing people to make rounds of district Saral Kendras (government service centres) for months. Most concerning, he said, is that even after correcting the errors, the ration and pensions of many families are not being restored. Reports indicate that the pensions of over 5,00,000 people have been stopped so far.
Political Context and Election Allegations
Hooda accused the BJP of adding one crore additional people to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category to garner votes in the 2024 elections. Immediately after securing votes, he claimed, the government started arbitrarily cancelling ration cards. In response to a question asked during the winter session of Parliament, the central government stated that 4,141,385 ration cards were cancelled across the country, with the Haryana government topping the list with 1,343,474 cancellations.
Hooda's Questions to the Government
The former chief minister questioned why so many ration cards were issued before the elections and why they are being cancelled now. He demanded answers, asking, "Why is the government not answering this question?" This, he argued, reflects a pattern of political manipulation at the expense of the vulnerable sections of society.
Hooda's allegations have sparked a debate on the implementation of welfare schemes in Haryana, with critics calling for transparency and accountability in the handling of ration cards and Family IDs. The issue underscores the ongoing political tensions in the state as parties gear up for future electoral battles.
