Rupnagar,25 Aug 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): Punjab’s Minister for School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education, and Public Relations Harjot Singh Bains strongly condemned the BJP-led Central Government’s attempt to snatch away food security from 55 lakh poor and needy people of Punjab. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government firmly stands with its people and will not allow the Centre’s plans to succeed under any circumstances. For this, legal action as well as a public movement will be launched.
He alleged that first the Central Government was involved in “stealing votes,” then it tried to “steal Punjab’s water,” and now it is planning to “steal the ration of Punjab’s poor.” Bains further said that during various camps organized in districts to extend the benefits of central schemes, people’s personal data was being misused, which is why the Punjab Government will not allow anyone to organize personal camps. If anyone forcefully tries to set up such camps, strict action will be taken against them.
He revealed that in July alone, ration for 23 lakh beneficiaries was stopped on the pretext of KYC registration not being completed, and threats have been issued to stop ration for another 32 lakh people from September 30. He termed this as the Centre’s anti-Punjab and anti-poor mindset, saying that out of Punjab’s 1.55 crore population, nearly 55 lakh people are being deliberately excluded from the scheme. He warned that first ration cards will be canceled, followed by health cards and Ayushman cards.
Bains said that Punjab has always stood firmly with the nation—whether it was filling the country’s food grain reserves or defending its borders. But in return, the BJP-led Centre is treating Punjab with stepmotherly behavior. He recalled how Punjab bore the brunt during Operation Blue Star and is now facing the fury of floods. “When there was a water shortage, conspiracies were hatched to loot our water, and now during floods, Punjab has been left to drown,” he said. Accusing the BJP, he added, “After ‘vote theft,’ the BJP is now resorting to ‘ration theft’ tactics.” He alleged that Punjab is being specifically targeted for stopping free ration, even though history shows Punjab made the biggest contribution in making India self-reliant in food production.
Speaking about Rupnagar district, Bains pointed out that many locals migrate to Gulf countries in search of livelihood. Even small landholders owning just 2.5 acres of non-yielding land have had their ration cards canceled. Many are taxi drivers with very low income, yet even those who bought an old vehicle are having their names removed from the list of beneficiaries.
Bains declared that Punjab will not allow these anti-Punjab schemes of the Centre to succeed, and the state government will stand firmly to protect the interests of its people.
The event was attended by Rupnagar MLA Advocate Dinesh Chadha, Sri Chamkaur Sahib MLA Dr. Charanjit Singh, AAP District President Dr. Sanjeev Gautam, Chairman of Saini Welfare Board Ram Kumar Mukhari, AAP Social Media District Incharge Raj Kumar Khosla, AAP District Youth President Chetan Kalia, Chairman of Ropar Market Committee Bhag Singh Madan, Chairman of Ropar Improvement Trust Shiv Kumar Lalpura, Rajinder Dhiman, Navpreet Sharma, and other dignitaries.
Summary:
Punjab minister Harjot Bains strongly opposed the central government’s alleged attempt to snatch away the livelihood of 55 lakh Punjabis, asserting that such anti-people measures will never be allowed to succeed.