Punjab: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the Centre of hatching a “conspiracy” to stop free ration being given to 55 lakh people of the state. Joshi, the Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution, has refuted the allegation, saying he does not know why the Punjab Chief Minister is making these false claims. In an open letter to the people of Punjab, Mann has said that the Centre is discriminating against the people of the state. “After stealing votes of people belonging to other political parties, now they want to steal your ration, but I will not let the BJP do that,” he said. Mann reiterated in the letter that the Centre has issued an order that free ration being given to 55 lakh people of the state will be stopped.
He said that 1.53 crore people are getting ration in Punjab, but the BJP government has decided to stop this facility for 55 lakh people. The letter reads, “If this happens, one in every three poor families will stop getting ration. This is not just a government decision but a direct attack on the poor, labourers, farmers and common families of Punjab.” Reacting to this, Joshi said, “Many poor families are still out of this scheme and do not have ration cards. The Punjab government can fix the system and include the real beneficiaries in it, but it is refusing to do so.”
