West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on February 19 said that Aadhaar cards of people belonging to Scheduled Classes and minority communities in certain parts of the State were being cancelled ahead of the elections. To address the issue, the State government on February 20 would start an Aadhaar Grievance Portal where citizens could file their complaints, she announced.
The Chief Minister also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the indiscriminate de-activation of Aadhaar cards .“This is a gross violation of Aadhaar rules. They are planning detention camps like Assam in the State. No NRC (National Register of Citizens) or any detention camp will be allowed in West Bengal,” Ms. Banerjee said, addressing media persons at the State Secretariat.
Claiming that this was a “conspiracy ahead of the polls”, she said now the Matuas should realise what all the talk on citizenship by the BJP was about.
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She added that the State government would issue fresh cards to those who had theirs cancelled.
In the letter to the Prime Minister, Ms. Banerjee said that she had received a number of representations, including from certain Scheduled Caste organisations, regarding the issue and many people were approaching the district administration over it; the development had caused chaos and confusion among the residents of the State.
“I would like to know from you about the causes for such sudden action of de-activation of Aadhaar Cards without assigning reasons. Is it just for the sake of depriving the eligible beneficiaries of the benefit or to create a panic situation among the people at large just before ensuing Lok Sabha Elections?” the read. The process of de-activation of Aadhaar cards without prior intimation was a gross violation of Regulation 29 (1) of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, she added.
Responding to the allegations, Union Minister of State for Shipping and BJP MP from Bongaon, Santanu Thakur shared a telephone number and an email address that people with Aadhaar-related grievances can use to get clarification.
“UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) has issued clarification that no Aadhaar Card has been cancelled. I urge everyone not to believe any gossip or misinformation. The Chief Minister is unnecessarily trying to create panic. No one should be worried,” Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said on social media.
