Centre 'deactivating' Aadhaar cards to stop people from getting social benefits: Mamata

Suri (WB), Feb 18 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the BJP-led central government "deactivated" Aadhaar card of people in the state before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections so that they do not get the benefits of various social welfare schemes of her government through their bank accounts.

Speaking at a public distribution programme here in Birbhum district, Banerjee said that her government would continue paying the beneficiaries of the various state-run welfare schemes even if a person does not have 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," Banerjee said.

"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.

Referring to the agitation of the farmers in Haryana, Punjab demanding the government's guarantee on minimum support price of their produce, Banerjee said that farmers in Bengal do not face any problem.

"I salute farmers' protest. I condemn the attacks on them," the West Bengal CM said. PTI