Issue new ration cards to all eligible beneficiaries: BJP

The Hindu

4 days ago

The BJP has demanded the government to issue new ration cards to all eligible beneficiaries as it had promised and wanted it to acknowledge the Centre's contribution towards free distribution of foodgrains under the PM 'Garib Kalyan Yojana' on Monday.
Party president N. Ramchander Rao, who is currently on a tour to Nalgonda, told a meeting of party workers that the Congress government has not been giving due credit to the Modi government for the foodgrains supply and had even removed the Prime Minister's photo from the ration shops.
The BJP leader also warned against restricting the issuance of new ration cards to ruling party followers as is being alleged in certain quarters. He also criticised the BRS government for not issuing a single new ration card during its two terms in power.
The newly elected State president was received with enthusiasm by the party cadre during his road journey as his convoy was halted at many places with the former being profusely garlanded. During his interactions with various groups, Mr. Rao once again reiterated the party's stand against the inclusion of 10% quota for Muslims in the 42% BC quota.
The former MLC pointed out that the Supreme Court had rejected reservations based on religion and said BC would be losing out if Muslims were included in the category. There is no point in criticising the Centre when it is the Congress government which had brought the BCs quota bill in the Legislative Assembly, hence the onus on implementing is on the latter, maintained Mr. Rao.
'We are not against BC quota but only against the quota based on religion,' he declared. The government has been in power for 18 months but is yet to act on the pending SLBC and Didi irrigation projects, he complained. The party is taking the local body polls in all seriousness and will contest for all posts from the village level to the district level. His call for the cadre is to ensure the party flag is hoisted in every village of his home district.
The Revanth Reddy government has cheated the farmers and students, instead of taking up the promised schemes. Farmers' suicides have been continuing unabated and pending fee reimbursement has thrown the education sector into a crisis, said Mr. Rao.
Just like the BRS government, the current regime too is mired in corruption coupled with policy failures, hence the time is ripe for the BJP to give confidence to the people that a double engine government alone can develop Telangana, he added.