CityLightBuzz: Hyderabad, Alleges Political Self-Promotion Through PDS Cards; Demands Removal of CM and Minister Photos
BRS senior leader and Telangana Legislative Council Member Dr. Dasoju Sravan has strongly criticised the Congress government in Telangana over the newly issued laminated PDS ration cards, alleging that public money is being misused for political self-promotion.
Dr. Sravan claimed that the government has spent around ₹100 crore on the distribution of approximately 1.05 crore ration cards across 119 constituencies. He alleged that the cards carry photographs of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, calling the move an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer money.
‘No Funds for Students and Pensioners, But Money for Political Promotion’
Dr. Sravan questioned the government’s priorities, alleging that pending student fee reimbursement, pension and gratuity payments remain unresolved while large amounts are being spent on new ration cards.
He claimed that the expenditure includes costs related to printing, lamination, technology infrastructure, web portals, cloud services and distribution logistics across Telangana’s 33 districts.
The BRS leader alleged that the government could have continued using existing digital/e-cards instead of spending heavily on new laminated cards.
Questions Congress Over Earlier Criticism of Modi’s Photo
Dr.Sravan also accused the Congress leadership of adopting double standards on the issue of politicians’ photographs on government documents.
Referring to the political controversy surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph on COVID-19 vaccination certificates in 2021, he questioned why the Congress leadership is now supporting photographs of the Chief Minister and Civil Supplies Minister on government-issued ration cards.
He argued that welfare benefits under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are statutory entitlements and should not be presented as personal achievements of political leaders.
Raises Legal Questions Over Minister’s Photograph
Dr. Sravan further claimed that displaying a Cabinet Minister’s photograph on publicly funded government material could raise questions in light of Supreme Court guidelines concerning government advertising and the use of public funds for political publicity.
He specifically referred to the 2016 Supreme Court judgment in Common Cause v. State of Karnataka and alleged that the inclusion of the Civil Supplies Minister’s photograph requires scrutiny.
However, the precise applicability of the judgment to the current ration-card design would depend on the nature of the material, the applicable government guidelines and the legal interpretation of the specific scheme.
BRS Demands Removal of Political Photographs
Dr.Dasoju Sravan demanded that the government immediately reconsider the design of the ration cards and remove photographs of political leaders.
The BRS leader called for standardised PDS cards carrying only official government identification and the State Emblem, arguing that welfare documents should maintain dignity and remain free from political promotion.
He also warned that if the cards need to be redesigned or reprinted due to future election-related restrictions, it could result in additional expenditure from the public exchequer.
BRS’s Key Demands
- Remove political photographs from PDS ration cards.
- Use a standardised government design for ration cards.
- Explain the expenditure incurred on printing and distribution.
- Prioritise pending student fee reimbursement and employee pension/gratuity dues.
- Ensure that public funds are not used for political publicity.
The controversy over the new ration cards has added to the ongoing political debate between the Congress government and the BRS over welfare schemes, public expenditure and the use of government platforms for political messaging
