Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is set to launch the state’s new smart ration card distribution process, with the government having decided to roll out the cards on the occasion of August 15. This marks the first time the government is distributing smart ration cards in the state. However, the BJP has objected to the absence of Prime Minister Modi’s photograph on the cards, while the government maintains that there is no requirement to feature the Prime Minister’s photo on a state welfare scheme.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will launch the smart ration card distribution programme at an event in Sangareddy district on August 15. Simultaneously, cards will be distributed across all 33 districts of the state by ministers and other elected representatives. The government has already unveiled the model of the smart ration card, which comes equipped with 9 security features. The card carries photographs of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on one side and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on the other. While this arrangement seemed unremarkable at first, it is precisely these photographs that have now become the centre of controversy, threatening to snowball into a full-blown political row.
Close aides of Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka have objected to the absence of his photograph on the cards, demanding that his photo appear alongside that of the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, state BJP leaders have strongly criticised the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph on the cards.
“PM’s Photo Must Be There,” Says BJP
The BJP has hit out at the government for printing only the photographs of CM Revanth Reddy and Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on the ration cards, with Telangana BJP leaders expressing anger over the exclusion of PM Modi’s photo from the smart cards. Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind was particularly scathing in his criticism, pointing out that of the six kilograms of rice distributed to beneficiaries, five kilograms come from the central government, and questioning how the state government could justify printing only the photographs of Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy under such circumstances.
MP Eatala Rajender also criticised the move, calling it laughable that the Congress government was using the CM’s and minister’s photographs for its own publicity when it is the central government that provides the free rice given to the poor. He questioned the very need for their photographs to appear on the cards, adding that fresh cards would likely have to be issued again once the current government eventually leaves office.
Medak MP Raghunandan Rao strongly objected to the distribution of smart ration cards without PM Modi’s photograph, demanding that the process be halted immediately. He pointed out that of the 6 kilograms of rice given to each beneficiary in the state, 5 kilograms come from the central government, arguing that excluding Modi’s photo amounted to disrespecting the Centre. He further warned that the BJP should not be held responsible for any untoward incidents that may occur at the Chief Minister’s distribution event in Sangareddy. He also took a sarcastic dig at the Revanth government, remarking that it does “little work but a lot of publicity.”
With the smart ration card distribution set to take place on Saturday, political circles have begun discussing whether the row over the missing photographs of the Deputy CM and the Prime Minister could lead to further tensions.