Congress accuses, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is forcing the poor to surrender their ration cards

*Paromita Das
The Uttar Pradesh Congress accused the BJP on Sunday of duping the poor into voting for it during the assembly elections by promising them free food grains during the Covid pandemic and then forcing them to surrender their ration cards.

The allegation was made by the party in the midst of the state government’s ongoing effort to verify the eligibility of ration cardholders.

In a press conference, Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra and other state party leaders demanded a White Paper from the government on the controversy surrounding the verification of ration cardholder eligibility.

Mishra stated that the party will raise the issue during the UP assembly budget session, which begins on Monday. Mishra claimed in a press conference that the BJP government has cheated the poor in the name of free rationing in order to gain electoral advantage.

“It reveals the BJP’s true character and face,” she added.

She claimed that BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been harping on how their governments in various states have been distributing free rations during the covid pandemic during the assembly elections.
She claimed that it was done solely for election purposes.

“Under the new rules, only those who do not own any land, a pucca house, a buffalo, a bullock, a tractor trolley, or a motorcycle will be eligible for rationing,” Mishra claimed.
According to her, the new rules have made people who work in poultry farming, cow rearing, or receive government assistance ineligible for the ration.

However, UP Food Commissioner Sourav Babu stated in an official communication that the allegation that the government has issued orders requiring people to surrender their ration cards is a rumor.

He stated that people’s eligibility for ration cards is still governed by an earlier order from October 7, 2014, which is still in effect.

He sought clarification that no ration cardholder can be declared ineligible under the government scheme for owning a pucca house, an electricity connection, an arms license, a motorcycle, or rearing poultry or cows.
According to the food commissioner, no order has been issued for the recovery of distributed rations from beneficiaries or ineligible cardholders because no such legal provision exists in the National Food Security Act of 2013.

When asked if the state government had issued a directive requiring ineligible ration card holders to surrender their cards; Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal said no such directive had been issued.

“They are only being verified by the government (ration cards). The ration card verification campaign is ongoing. If anyone surrenders it, it is entirely their choice and they do so voluntarily “Sehgal stated. He also stated that new eligible beneficiaries will receive ration cards in place of the surrendered cards.