BJP govt snatching away support of elderly in their old age: Hooda

Chandigarh: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has strongly objected to the BJP government’s decision to cut old age pensions.

Hooda said the BJP is so intoxicated by power in its third term in power, that it is recklessly cutting the ration cards and pensions of millions of poor people. In Ambala district alone, the BPL ration cards and pensions of approximately 54,000 families have been cut.

The former Chief Minister said that according to Central government data, votes were taken in the Haryana Assembly elections and now more than 14 lakh ration cards have been cut, the highest in the country. Similarly, the pensions of thousands of elderly people are also being cut.

Hooda said while the elderly are repeatedly pleading at government offices to have their pensions reinstated, the arrogant government claims that no elderly pension has been cut. This is like adding insult to injury.

Hooda said that the Congress government increased the old-age pension from Rs 300 to Rs 1,500, a five-fold (400 per cent) increase. Meanwhile, the BJP government has only increased it by Rs 2 (100 per cent) in 11 years, while inflation has risen three to four times.

Not only this, during the Congress regime, there was no obstruction to the old age pension system like the family ID system created by the BJP for determining the income of the elderly.

“The Congress party used to provide an old-age Samman Allowance by linking the old-age pension to the respect of the elderly, but now the Samman Allowance has been presented a favour that the government is bestowing on the elderly.

The government has complete control over the Family ID. Therefore, the government can simply show an increase in anyone’s income and cut their pension overnight,” he said.