Punjab ministers slam Centre for ‘depriving’ poor of free ration
Punjab ministers condemned the BJP for excluding 55 lakh from the free ration scheme, accusing the Centre of targeting the state and harming the poor.
Punjab cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday condemned the BJP-led central government’s decision to exclude around 55 lakh Punjabis from the free ration scheme under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The leaders accused the Centre of targeting the state with “deceitful tactics” aimed at depriving the poor of essential food supplies. They vowed that the AAP government would not allow such moves to succeed and pledged to protect the rights of Punjab’s vulnerable populations.
Interacting with the media in Patiala on Sunday, Cheema accused the BJP of adopting “cheap and deceitful tactics” to deprive Punjabis of the free ration scheme. He said that neither the people of Punjab nor the Aam Aadmi Party government would allow such moves to succeed.
He alleged that the central government has already stopped ration for 23 lakh people on the pretext of incomplete KYC and is threatening to cancel another 32 lakh ration cards, affecting millions more.
“This is a deliberate conspiracy by the BJP to target Punjab and Punjabis. Having failed in its earlier agenda of repealing the three farm laws, the BJP is now hatching fresh plots against Punjab,” Cheema said.
The Finance Minister further accused the BJP of treating Punjab unfairly in various matters, citing the blocking of ₹8,000 crore of Rural Development Fund, withholding nearly ₹1,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and the non-release of pending GST compensation amounting to ₹50,000 crore. “Now by stopping free ration, the BJP is directly inflicting injustice on the poor of Punjab,” he said.
In Bathinda, agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian condemned the Centre’s move, saying it unfairly targets 55 lakh underprivileged families who are entitled to free ration.
In Sangrur, cabinet minister and state AAP chief Aman Arora echoed these sentiments, stating the government will not let anyone’s rightful share of ration be taken away.
Arora highlighted the inadequacy of the central government criteria for ration card cancellation, pointing out that owning more than 2.5 acres of land or having a family member employed should not be grounds for cancellation in Punjab’s agrarian context. “Even with a good crop, 2.5 acres generates about ₹1.75 lakh annually, which is insufficient to support a family of four,” he said.
He raised concerns over reports that during KYC camps, money was being collected and bank account details taken, potentially exposing vulnerable people to financial fraud. Arora questioned who would take responsibility if funds were misappropriated from these accounts.
