Cong alleges ‘BJP vote ghotala’ in BPL beneficiary list, seeks probe

The Congress today demanded a thorough probe into the large-scale addition and deletion of Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries in Haryana, alleging it was a “BJP vote ghotala (scam)”.

Raising the issue during question hour on the third day of the monsoon session, Congress MLA Sheeshpal Kehrwala claimed that names were added to the BPL list during the election year to “net votes” and deleted later. “We demand an inquiry into the additions in the election year and the deletions after the election,” he said.

Replying to his query, the government informed the House that 8,73,507 families were added and 9,68,506 families deleted from the BPL category between January 2024 and July 31, 2025. As on August 22, the state had 41,93,669 BPL families.

Development and Panchayat Minister Krishan Lal Panwar clarified that BPL beneficiaries were identified on the basis of verified annual family income recorded in the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) database.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, however, turned the charge back on the Congress. “They (Congress leaders) are the ones who raised a hue and cry that a number of eligible beneficiaries were being deprived of benefits due to non-inclusion. I announced that we would open the portal but a survey would be carried out subsequently. Then, they said ineligible beneficiaries had been added. So, we carried out a survey and those found ineligible were dropped. They have to decide what they want,” he said.

Though the Congress pressed to continue the discussion, Speaker Harvinder Kalyan disallowed it and moved to the next question.

Meanwhile, the session also saw lighter moments when Transport Minister Anil Vij objected to a question on the Hodal bus stand deadline, pointing out it had already been asked in the previous session. “Under Section 50 of the Rules of Procedure, a question asked in the previous session cannot be repeated in the next session,” Vij argued, demanding a ruling.

When the Speaker said caution would be exercised in future, Vij quipped, “My reply is also the same as last time. The member could be provided a copy of his reply from the last session.”

Other issues raised included irrigation works in Sirsa and health services in Nuh. Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry said construction of the Dhingtania and Bhamboor minors in Sirsa could not begin due to land issues but efforts were on to resolve them. Health Minister Arti Singh Rao stated there was no shortage of anti-snake venom (ASV) vials in Nuh district hospitals, but Congress MLA Mamman Khan pressed for details on anti-rabies vaccines as well.