“After being called Vote Chor, they are now proving to be Ration Chor.”

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly criticized the Union government after reports surfaced about the cancellation of more than 8.02 lakh ration cards in the state. He warned that such an action would deprive lakhs of families of their right to subsidized food grains.

Mann argued that each ration card supports an average family of four, meaning millions of people would be affected. “Punjab provides food to the entire nation, yet the Centre wants to snatch away rations from our people. This is nothing but injustice,” he said.

The Chief Minister further hit out at the BJP, remarking, “After being called Vote Chor, they are now proving to be Ration Chor.”

According to Mann, the Centre has set conditions under which cards will be cancelled—such as families owning more than 2.5 acres of land, a turnover of Rs 25 lakh, or a government job. He insisted that these rules would unfairly target common households and pledged, “We will not allow a single ration card to be cancelled in Punjab.”

He also criticized BJP leaders for conducting village-level outreach camps, saying they should explain to people why ration cards are being withdrawn instead of only advertising central schemes.

Mann confirmed that he has written to the Union government, urging them to roll back the proposal.