New Delhi, Feb 3 (NationPress) Delhi BJP MLA Harish Khurana on Tuesday called on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to publish a white paper detailing the ration distribution over the past decade, asserting that this action is necessary to highlight the irregularities that occurred during the tenure of the former Arvind Kejriwal administration.

Khurana launched a vehement critique of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing them of undermining the current ration card verification initiative and claiming that they have perpetuated a decade-long scheme that has deprived authentic beneficiaries of their rightful resources.

The Moti Nagar MLA dismissed AAP's claims as a “calculated effort to mislead the public”, emphasizing that the residents of Delhi are aware of how ration cards were wrongly allocated to ineligible households between 2015 and 2024.

Khurana demanded that AAP leaders reveal the number of Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators who received ration cards during their leadership.

“Some unemployed opposition figures are attempting to fabricate false narratives, but the citizens of Delhi understand how ration cards were indiscriminately issued throughout AAP's governance,” he stated.

The BJP legislator pointed out that official statistics indicate that 9,22,766 applications for ration cards were filed in Delhi from 2014 to 2024.

“For nearly a decade, ration cards were distributed with minimal verification. Once the process underwent examination, extensive irregularities became apparent,” Khurana remarked.

He noted that the Rekha Gupta-led government initiated a review of the ration card system in compliance with Government of India standards, uncovering significant violations: 2.02 lakh ration cards were flagged as suspicious (impacting 7.07 lakh beneficiaries); 6,038 cards were issued in the names of deceased persons; 16,000 duplicate cards were identified, and over 1.44 lakh cards were held by individuals earning more than Rs 6 lakh annually, despite the program being aimed solely at those in need.

“If individuals with incomes exceeding Rs 6 lakh are receiving subsidized ration, it is the truly needy who will inevitably be sidelined,” he added.

The MLA further mentioned that the verification process has revealed that 2.76 lakh beneficiaries received notices via SMS, yet only 227 responses have been noted thus far.

He elaborated that the BJP government's verification efforts showed that 1.59 lakh cardholders own land; 77,000 beneficiaries possess vehicles; 2,700 ration cards were granted to GST holders with turnovers exceeding Rs 25 lakh, and 16,064 duplicate ration cards were linked to beneficiaries residing in other states.

“Individuals owning property, vehicles, and even those serving as company directors were classified as ‘poor’ to secure benefits. This is the true nature of AAP's model,” Khurana accused.

Refuting assertions that Food Supply Offices (FSOs) were being closed, Khurana stated that the re-verification process is being conducted rigorously under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) via district-level committees led by District Magistrates.

“Not a single FSO office has been shut down. All offices remain operational. No ration card has been canceled thus far, and no eligible beneficiary will be denied food grains. Every cardholder is being afforded ample opportunity to establish their eligibility,” he concluded.