Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday, 7 November 2026, accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of hypocrisy over the Voter ID-welfare linkage controversy, alleging that Gandhi had strongly opposed a similar proposal at the Centre while turning a blind eye to an identical announcement made by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in his own Congress-governed state.

What Bommai Said

In a post on X, Bommai stated that Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) had only spoken about the possibility of linking welfare beneficiary selection to names in electoral rolls — and had issued no formal order to that effect. Despite this, Rahul Gandhi had already come out in strong opposition to the proposal, Bommai noted.

'Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi is turning a blind eye to what is happening in his own state and opposing the Centre merely to criticise it,' Bommai said in his post. He further alleged that Gandhi was 'politicising every issue' by selectively targeting the Centre while staying silent on comparable moves by Congress-led state governments.

The Karnataka Parallel

At the centre of Bommai's criticism is an announcement attributed to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, in which the Karnataka government reportedly stated that government guarantee schemes and other welfare benefits in the state would apply only to those whose names appear in the voter list. Bommai argued this is substantively the same linkage that Rahul Gandhi had publicly condemned when floated at the national level — presenting what the BJP MP described as a clear contradiction in the Congress leader's positions.

Background: The Centre's Voter ID-Aadhaar Proposal

The controversy stems from remarks made by Rajiv Ranjan Singh at a National Workshop on the Jan Yojana Abhiyaan / People's Plan Campaign, where he stated that EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) numbers combined with biometric authentication — rather than Aadhaar alone — would be used to identify beneficiaries and process payments under his ministry's schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana. The minister argued that Aadhaar cards are easily obtained and that EPIC-based verification would ensure greater transparency and reduce leakage to middlemen.

Opposition's Concerns

Rahul Gandhi, in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, along with Indian National Congress (Congress) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), termed the Centre's approach a 'conspiracy.' They warned that linking welfare entitlements to electoral rolls could exclude millions of citizens — particularly those whose names were removed or flagged during the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Notably, Rajiv Ranjan Singh responded sharply to these criticisms, accusing opponents of distorting facts and of artificially connecting routine administrative updates to the SIR exercise. The minister maintained the shift is intended to improve scheme delivery and curb intermediary fraud.

What Happens Next

No formal order has been issued by the Centre as yet, according to Bommai's own account of Lalan Singh's remarks. The political dispute, however, is likely to intensify as the opposition continues to press its exclusion concerns ahead of further electoral roll revision processes. The BJP's spotlight on Karnataka's parallel policy is expected to remain a talking point in both Parliament and state political circles in the coming weeks.