TMC, Congress to jointly oppose linking Aadhaar to midday meal

KOLKATA: The CPM has joined the Trinamool Congress and Congress in opposing the BJP-led Centre’s decision to link Aadhaar with midday meal scheme. Trinamool had announced its decision to oppose the Centre’s move much earlier and even held a rally here on Monday under women’s wing chief Chandrima Bhattacharjee.

“The decision to link Aadhaar with midday meal scheme would deprive innumerable children of food and nutrition,” CPM state secretary and Polit Bureau member Surjya Kanta Mishra said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

CPM MLA Sujan Chakraborty told reporters in the assembly lobby on Monday that his party would support the state government if it ‘genuinely opposes’ the Centre’s move to make it mandatory for school children to have Aadhaar cards to get benefits of the midday meal scheme Trinamool had also indicated it would oppose jointly with the Congress the Centre’s move.

“Our party and Congress would oppose the Union government’s plan in the LS on March 9,” said a senior Trinamool Congress leader. Both parties had jointly opposed Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move and this would be the second major issue over which they would be joining hands against the Narendra Modi government.

Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ET, “introduction of Aadhaar card was a concept of the previous Congress government. It was mainly to offer direct benefit transfer like LPG subsidy to the common people. Now the Modi government is trying to use the scheme for a different purpose. We will certainly oppose the Centre’s move and, if necessary, join the Trinamool protest in the Lok Sabha. But I want to make it clear that corruption prevails in midday meal scheme in Bengal.”

A senior CPM leader, preferring anonymity, said, “Mamata has a secret understanding with BJP and we consider her opposition to demonetisation a high-voltage drama which ended abruptly. We also believe that her opposition to linking Aadhaar and midday meal is another drama and she is trying her best to keep the Congress by her side to fight BJP and thwart any fresh move by the CBI to summon her MPs in the chit fund scam. By trying to be friendly with Congress in Delhi, she is trying to weaken the struggle against her government. If Bengal Congress withdraws its struggle against her government, Mamata will surely be the gainer.”