Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday charged the BJP-led Centre with “hatching a conspiracy” to stop free ration to 55 lakh people in the state, and asserted that he would not let people’s rights be “snatched”.

In a written message addressed to the people of Punjab, he alleged that the Central government has issued an order that the free ration to 55 lakh people in the state will be stopped.

This is the second time within a week that Mann accused the Centre of stopping the ration of people under the National Food Security Act. However, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has already rejected Mann’s allegations, accusing the Punjab government of trying to “spread lies”.

On Monday, Mann alleged the BJP government at the Centre has decided to stop free ration for 55 lakh people.

“Your name is also on that list. Till now, 1.53 crore people were getting ration in Punjab, but the BJP government has decided to end this facility for 55 lakh people,” Mann wrote.

“One out of every three poor families is being deprived of the ration. This is not just a government decision, it is a direct attack on the platters of the poor, workers, farmers and ordinary families of Punjab.”

Mann claimed that since July, the Central government has stopped the ration to 23 lakh poor people of Punjab by saying that they have not completed the e-KYC process.

“The BJP is going to stop the ration of about 32 lakh more Punjabis from September by saying that these people are not poor. BJP is planning to stop the ration of a total of 55 lakh poor people,” he claimed.

“Just think; we, the people of Punjab, grow food grains and feed the entire country, and today the Central government is bent on taking away a morsel of bread from the platter of the same Punjab. Is this fair?” he posed.

Questioning the criteria, Mann said, “The BJP says that some of these people own cars, some pay income tax, some own more than 2.50 acres of land, and some families have a job - so these people are not poor.”

“If one person in a house works or owns a car, does the whole family become rich? Is it right to cut the (ration) cards of the whole family?” Mann asked.

Alleging that the BJP does not understand the reality of Punjab, Mann said, “While sitting in AC rooms in Delhi, an account of the meal of the poor people of the villages is being kept.” He accused the Union government of not giving a chance to the Punjab dispensation to find out the real situation of every family.

“This order to strike off ration cards without proper verification makes it clear that the BJP wants to take revenge against Punjab under any pretext,” he alleged and urged people not to panic as “your brother Bhagwant Mann stands by you”.

The CM said no one’s ration card will be disqualified. “We have already verified 1.29 crore beneficiaries, and the remaining work will also be completed within six months,” he said.

Mann said he has sought time from the Central government and added, “Our team will go door-to-door to find out the situation of each family. This is not just a fight for ration, it is a fight for the rights and dignity of Punjabis.”