Cong accuses BJP of betraying women after 'removal of 62 lakh names' from Ladki Behen Yojna

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP-led 'Mahayuti' government in Maharashtra of betraying the state's women, saying that it promised to give Rs 2,100 every month to them during the assembly polls but has now "excluded" 62 lakh women from the benefit under the 'Ladki Behen Yojana’ in the state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the BJP made a similar promise to women in Delhi during the assembly polls but has instead removed beneficiaries under the Ladli Behen scheme. "Those who deceive God, how will they spare mothers and sisters? The BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has cheated lakhs of women in the name of the 'Ladki Behen Yojana'. 62 lakh women have been excluded from the scheme on the pretext of not having e-KYC," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X. Just before the 2024 assembly elections, he said the 'Ladki Behen Yojana' was launched and women were given Rs 1,500 every month. Along with this, it was also promised that after the elections, Rs 2,100 would be given every month, he claimed. "But true to their long-standing habit, after the elections, citing various reasons and under a conspiracy, they have now removed the names of lakhs of women from the scheme on different pretexts," Ramesh alleged. Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil said the government had promised "mothers and sisters that we would give Rs 2,100 every month, but they backed out of even this promise". Patil demanded that the names of all eligible women be included in the scheme, accountability be fixed for any irregularities and action be taken against those responsible. "Before the assembly elections, the BJP had promised to provide Rs 2,100 per month to women, but after the elections concluded, lakhs of women are being excluded from the scheme citing various reasons," he told reporters. He claimed that the state government has excluded approximately 62 lakh women citing the e-KYC process, and removed the names of about 1.80 lakh women due to age-related reasons. Patil claimed that this is a betrayal of mothers and sisters of Maharashtra. "We demand from the BJP government of Maharashtra - the E-KYC of 62 lakh eligible women should be conducted, and their rights should be restored. An investigation should be conducted into how and on whose orders men received benefits in this scheme," he said. "We also demanded that Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde must be held accountable in this matter," he said. The Congress leader also alleged that women were intimidated by being told that their data had been handed over to the Income Tax Department. "There is no one whom the BJP has not deceived. This has proved true in the 'Ladki Behen Yojana' implementation," Patil said. Maharashtra's Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare has said that the names of about 81 lakh registered beneficiaries were removed from the state government's ‘Ladki Behen Yojana’ following an e-KYC verification process that lasted several months. PTI SKC RT