Rahul Gandhi accused the Centre of putting welfare access at risk by linking scheme payments to voter ID details.
His remarks followed Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh’s statement that payments under his ministry’s schemes would use biometrics and EPIC numbers instead of Aadhaar.
Gandhi linked the proposal to the ongoing SIR, alleging that voter deletions could affect access to benefits.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the centre of planning to 'steal' the rights of people after Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that the beneficiaries under schemes run by his ministry would receive payments using biometric authentication and Electors’ Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers instead of Aadhaar.
“This is not just vote theft — this is theft of rights,” Gandhi said in a post on X, responding to Rajiv Ranjan Singh’s statement.
Gandhi called the statement a “deeply sinister plot” and alleged that the SIR was removing millions of names from voter lists, particularly those of people angry with the BJP. He accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of colluding with the BJP in “vote theft”, saying the Congress had evidence to support its charge.
“The voter list should be in the hands of an impartial Election Commission — but now it is in the hands of Gyanesh Kumar, an employee of the Modi government,” he wrote.
Gandhi claimed that the same voter list could determine who receives welfare benefits. “Name struck off — vote gone. Vote gone — rights gone,” he said, warning that people could become “invisible citizens” in a democracy where “the government will choose its people”.
He questioned whether the proposed system could eventually affect access to rations, pensions, MGNREGA, housing, scholarships and reservations. “Voting is your right, not a condition. A poor person’s pension cannot be held hostage to their voter card,” he said.
What Lalan Singh said
Singh made the remarks last Friday at the National Workshop on People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He said Aadhaar would no longer be the basis for payments under schemes run by his ministry. Instead, payments would use beneficiaries’ biometrics and EPIC numbers. He did not specify which schemes would adopt the system.
The Congress criticised Singh’s statement on Thursday, calling “vote chori” the “trailer” and saying the larger concern was “haq-huqooq (rights) chori”. Gandhi shared a video of Singh’s remarks in his post.
