NEW DELHI, November 6 (Aalimi Nation) – Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the Centre over a Union minister's remark that voter ID numbers will be used for welfare payments, calling it "rights theft" and linking it to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. No response from the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Election Commission had been reported at the time of writing.

The minister's remark

Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, said that beneficiaries of his ministry's schemes will need their Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number, along with mandatory biometric authentication, to receive payments. The remark was reported as meaning that voter ID would replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries. The government has not issued a clarification on which schemes are covered or when any change would begin.

What Mr Gandhi said

In a Hindi post on social media, accompanied by a video of the minister's remarks, Mr Gandhi called the plan a deep-rooted conspiracy. "This isn't just vote theft, it's rights theft," he said, according to the translated post.

He alleged that millions of names are being removed from voter lists under SIR and claimed that those targeted are people who are angry with the BJP. He said voter lists should be in the hands of an impartial Election Commission, and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of colluding with the BJP, saying the Congress has evidence. The post, as reported, did not set out that evidence, and the allegation has not been verified. The Election Commission has not responded in the reports available.

Mr Gandhi argued that a citizen whose name is struck could lose both the vote and welfare entitlements. He warned that the same approach could later be applied to rations, pensions, MGNREGA, housing, scholarships and reservations. "Voting is your right, not a condition," he said, adding that a poor person's pension cannot be tied to a voter card. He said the opposition would not allow the move. These are Mr Gandhi's allegations and political assessments; none has been tested before any authority, and the government has not replied to them.

Congress line on Thursday

On Thursday, the Congress had said that "vote chori", its term for alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, was "just the trailer", and that the full picture was what it called "haq-huqooq chori", or theft of rights. Those are the party's own characterisations.

Separate Election Commission step

The remarks came on a day the Election Commission opened a fresh window for electors missing from the SIR draft rolls in seven states, including Delhi, the Commission said. Opposition parties have been criticising SIR.

What remains unclear

The reports available do not say how the system would work for beneficiaries who are not enrolled as voters, or how it would relate to existing Aadhaar-based payments. It is also unclear whether the remark reflects a formal decision or a proposal, and no notification has been reported.

Further responses from the government and the Election Commission are awaited.