Congress lashes out at BJP over use of Voter ID instead of Aadhaar

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, popularly known as Lalan Singh, has spoken about using Voter ID cards and biometric authentication instead of Aadhaar cards to identify and make payments to beneficiaries of welfare schemes. Following this statement, the Congress has launched a scathing attack on the BJP government. Opposing the proposal, Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the government is using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a 'backdoor NRC'.

Minister Lalan Singh had discussed this during a national workshop on 'People's Plan Campaign 2026-27' organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on October 30. He stated that henceforth, Aadhaar cards would not be used as the primary basis for making payments to beneficiaries. Explaining this proposed change, the Minister questioned the reliability of Aadhaar cards and argued that registration facilities have now become widely available. He further added that an Aadhaar card can be issued to any person in just 5 minutes and such centres are now available in almost every area.

Lalan Singh clarified that beneficiaries would be identified through their biometric authentication and their Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number. However, the Minister did not specify which government schemes would follow this proposed system or when this process would be implemented.

Reacting to this statement, Pawan Khera wrote a post on the social media platform X. He alleged that Lalan Singh's statement proves that the SIR is being used as a backdoor NRC. Khera argued that the government could first remove people's names from the electoral rolls through the SIR and subsequently make the Voter ID a mandatory condition for obtaining government schemes and benefits.

Comparing it with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019 and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) framework, the Congress leader alleged that the government is attempting to create a system that could deprive vulnerable communities of equal citizenship rights. He stated that the poor, rural, and marginalised people, especially those unable to produce historical documents, could face further difficulties under such a system.

Khera also accused the BJP and the Election Commission of using the SIR to exclude certain sections of the population from democratic and economic rights. He termed this process as a 'tool of apartheid' and urged people to oppose it in the interest of democracy and constitutional equality. Khera's criticism primarily focuses on the possibility that if the Voter ID becomes the mandatory identification document for payments, people excluded from the electoral rolls may also face difficulty in receiving welfare benefits.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh, known as Lalan Singh, is a Union Minister. He participated in programmes under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.