india

Updated: Nov 14, 2019 21:33 IST

A Congress MLA, who is a former minister and also an owner of a hotel and a petrol pump, was found to be a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holder in Bhopal.

That Bisahulal Singh from Anuppur district, 656 km east of Bhopal, was drawing the ration on a BPL card came to light through an RTI application.

However, Singh, the five-time Congress MLA, said someone must have forged the documents to drag his name in the controversy and malign his image.

RTI activist Bhuvneshwar Prasad Mishra filed an application under Right to Information (RTI) in September to get the details of beneficiaries of ‘Annapurna’ scheme under which BPL card holders get ration at subsidised rate. In reply, he found the name of Bisahulal Singh registered under the scheme from year 2013 and 11 members of his family were getting benefit of the scheme.

As per the reply obtained in September, Singh purchased 33 kg wheat, 22 kg rice, 2 litre kerosene, 1 kg sugar and four kg pulse by paying just Rs 234.

Accusing the former minister of committing fraud, the state BJP has said strict action should be taken in the matter by the Congress-led state government.

State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “This matter needs to be probed as an Income tax payee and lawmaker Singh not only violated rules but he also encroached upon the rights of BPL people.”

Refuting allegations, Bisahulal Singh said, “The state government is going for a cabinet expansion soon and I am one of probables for a ministerial berth. That’s why to malign my clean image, someone has hatched a conspiracy against me.”

“I have never applied for a BPL card. It’s district administration’s duty to conduct a survey and include names of beneficiaries. I have asked the district collector to probe the matter and find out whether someone is getting benefit in my name,” said Singh.

Anuppur district collector Chandramohan Thakur said he had initiated a probe in the matter.