Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the reported linking of welfare benefits to the voter list in West Bengal.
He said eligible citizens should not lose access to government schemes because of their electoral status.
In a post on X, Owaisi claimed that the West Bengal government had started denying PDS ration and other benefits to people whom officials removed during the Special Intensive Revision process.
He said authorities categorised some people as “absent” or “shifted”.
He also referred to voters who did not receive voter slips during the previous election.
Welfare benefits are a right of eligible citizens: Owaisi
Owaisi said many people in these categories were genuine voters.
He questioned the use of the voter list to determine eligibility for welfare schemes.
He also asked why Aadhaar authentication was not sufficient for verification.
Authorities should not use voter registration as the deciding factor for welfare access, he said.
Meanwhile, Owaisi said governments design welfare schemes for all eligible citizens.
He argued that authorities should not treat welfare programmes as rewards for voting status.
Owaisi alleged that the move appeared aimed at reducing the number of beneficiaries.
He claimed the decision could make life harder for poor families.
He further said women, Scheduled Castes and Muslims could face the greatest impact.
The AIMIM chief added that welfare schemes run on public funds.
He said every eligible citizen can claim those benefits.
The West Bengal government has linked welfare benefits to the voter list and is now denying PDS ration and other benefits to people excluded during SIR. This includes people marked as “absent” or “shifted”, and those who did not receive voter slips during the last election. But…
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 6, 2026