Jairam Ramesh Questions Centre Over Reported Plan To Replace Aadhaar With Voter ID For Welfare Schemes

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday questioned the Centre over a reported proposal to use Voter ID instead of Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries of social welfare programmes. He asked whether the move reflected official policy of the Narendra Modi-led government.

Ramesh said the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj had stated twice in the past few days that Voter ID would replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries of social welfare programmes.

Ramesh's X Post

Ramesh said in a post on X: "Over the past few days, the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has said not once but twice that Voter ID will replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries for social welfare programmes. Is this now official Modi Govt policy?"

He also shared a longer message on X. "Over the past few days the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has said not once but twice that Voter ID will replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries for social welfare programmes. Is this now official Modi Govt policy? If indeed it is, then it means that Aadhaar will not be used for the primary purpose for which it was conceived and intended. There have been legitimate concerns that the way Aadhaar has been used lakhs have been denied access to social welfare and security schemes. Making SIR the basis will end up excluding even more people on a massive scale. Vote Chori is just the trailer. The full picture is हक़-हुकूक Chori.- Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 5, 2026"

He added, "If indeed it is, then it means that Aadhaar will not be used for the primary purpose for which it was conceived and intended."

Aadhaar Welfare Concerns

Ramesh broadened the criticism. He said Aadhaar’s use in welfare and security delivery had already left lakhs of people without benefits. He then warned that treating SIR as the basis for beneficiary identification could exclude even more people.

He wrote: "There have been legitimate concerns that the way Aadhaar has been used lakhs have been denied access to social welfare and security schemes. Making SIR the basis will end up excluding even more people on a massive scale."

Vote Chori Remark

Ramesh closed by tying the issue to the Congress party’s allegations about electoral processes and citizens’ rights.

"Vote Chori is just the trailer. The full picture is हक़-हुकूक Chori (Theft of Rights and Entitlements)," the Congress leader said in his post.

His remarks followed statements by the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj about using Voter ID instead of Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries of social welfare programmes.