Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Centre of pursuing a “deep” conspiracy to manipulate electoral rolls and undermine citizens’ rights after Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said voter ID and biometric authentication would be used for identifying beneficiaries under a new Panchayati Raj scheme instead of Aadhaar.
Reacting to the minister’s remarks, Gandhi alleged that linking welfare benefits to electoral records could put vulnerable citizens at risk, particularly amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
“The conspiracy runs very deep; take your time to understand it,” Gandhi said in a post on X, alleging that names of people critical of the BJP were being systematically removed from electoral rolls.
मोदी सरकार के मंत्री का ऐलान – योजनाओं का लाभ अब आधार से नहीं, वोटर ID से तय होगा।
साजिश बहुत गहरी है, इत्मीनान से समझिए।
SIR के नाम पर करोड़ों नाम वोटर लिस्ट से काटे जा रहे हैं – रोका नहीं गया तो और भी काटे जाएंगे।
ज़्यादातर नाम किनके? जो BJP के ख़िलाफ़ आक्रोश में हैं।
वोटर लिस्ट एक निष्पक्ष चुनाव आयोग के हाथ में होनी चाहिए – मगर अब वो मोदी सरकार के कर्मचारी, ज्ञानेश कुमार के हाथ में है, जिसकी BJP के साथ मिलीभगत में वोट चोरी हमने सबूत के साथ पकड़ी है।
तैयारी है ऐसी लिस्ट बनाने की जिसमें बहुमत हमेशा BJP का हो – और अब वही लिस्ट तय करेगी कि आपको योजना का पैसा मिलेगा या नहीं।
कल जिसने भी ठाना कि BJP को हटाना है, तो चुन-चुन कर सबका नाम काटा जाएगा।
नाम कटा – वोट गया। वोट गया – हक़ गया।
और देखते ही देखते आप एक hijacked लोकतंत्र के अदृश्य नागरिक बन जाएंगे – जहां जनता सरकार नहीं चुनेगी, सरकार अपनी जनता चुनेगी।
आज पंचायती राज की योजनाएं। कल राशन? पेंशन? मनरेगा? आवास? छात्रवृत्ति? आरक्षण?
यह चुनाव जीतने की राजनीति नहीं, चुनाव चोरी का इंतज़ाम और सत्ता में बने रहने का स्थायी बंदोबस्त है।
वोट देना आपका अधिकार है, शर्त नहीं। किसी ग़रीब की पेंशन उसके वोटर कार्ड की ग़ुलाम नहीं हो सकती।
ये सिर्फ़ वोट चोरी नहीं – ये हक़ चोरी है।
हम ये होने नहीं देंगे।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 6, 2026
Gandhi claimed that the proposed system could make access to government benefits dependent on a person’s presence on the voter list. He alleged that those who are “furious with the BJP” could be among the first to face exclusion if their names were removed during the SIR exercise.
The Congress leader also targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that electoral databases were being used in a manner that could favour the ruling BJP. He claimed that the government was preparing voter lists that would provide it with a permanent electoral advantage.
“Name struck, vote gone. Vote gone, rights gone,” Gandhi said, arguing that welfare entitlements should not be conditional on voting registration.
The controversy follows remarks by Lalan Singh that Aadhaar would no longer be the primary basis for making beneficiary payments under the proposed Panchayati Raj arrangement. He said beneficiaries would instead be identified through biometric authentication along with their Electors’ Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. The minister did not specify that the change would apply to all central welfare schemes.
Singh had argued that Aadhaar was no longer an effective primary means of verification because enrolment facilities were widely available. The proposed system has drawn criticism from opposition parties, which have raised concerns about linking welfare access to electoral rolls.
Gandhi further alleged that the move was part of an attempt to “steal elections” and permanently retain political power. He said voting was a constitutional right and should not become a condition for receiving government assistance.
“This isn’t just vote theft; it’s rights theft. We won’t let this happen,” Gandhi said.
