Centre 'deactivating' Aadhaar cards, claims Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the BJP-led central government of deactivating Aadhaar cards of people in her state before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. She promised that her government would continue paying the beneficiaries of the various state-run welfare schemes even if a person is without an Aadhaar card.

“Be aware, they (BJP-led Centre) are deactivating Aadhaar cards. Several Aadhar cards have been deactivated in many districts of Bengal. They (BJP-led Centre) are delinking Aadhaar cards so that before polls people do not get benefits of Lakshmi Bhandar through banks, free ration,” said the West Bengal CM.

“But we will continue paying the beneficiaries of the schemes even if they have no Aadhaar card. Not a single beneficiary will be affected,” she said.

Banerjee also reiterated her support to the ongoing farmers’ protest. She said: “I salute farmers’ protest. I condemn the attacks on them,”

Notably, farmers from states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have launched a ‘Dilli Chalo’ march to pressurise the Central government to accept several demands, including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) of their crops.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government is under fire from BJP over alleged rape and violence against women in Sandeshkhali recently. Hundreds of women have been protesting claiming the involvement of ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in the deplorable incident. Villagers have accused the police of being apathetic to their plight in the matter.

After days of protest by the villagers, West Bengal police on Saturday said that they have added an Indian Penal Code (IPC) section for gang rape against TMC leaders – Uttam Sardar and Shibaprasad Hazra.

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