CM Mamata Banerjee pens to PM Modi over 'deactivation' of Aadhaar cards in West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the 'sudden deactivation' of Aadhaar cards in the state. In a letter, Banerjee said she would like to know the reasons behind the sudden deactivation of Aadhaar cards in Bengal.

"I vehemently condemn the reckless deactivation of Aadhaar cards, particularly targeting SC, ST and OBC communities in West Bengal. We are all citizens of India. Every resident can avail West Bengal Government's welfare benefits, irrespective of whether they have Aadhaar cards or not,"  Banerjee said in an X post while sharing a copy of the letter.

"I wish to bring to your kind notice a sudden development of the serious nature of indiscriminate deactivation of Aadhaar Cards of the people, especially those belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBC communities in West Bengal," Banerjee said in a letter to Modi.

The Chief Minister claimed that the head office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in New Delhi was directly issuing deactivation letters to individuals and family members without any field inquiry or taking the state into confidence. "It is learnt that the Head Office of UIDAI in New Delhi, without any field enquiry or hearing the persons and taking the State Government into confidence, has been directly issuing letters to individuals and family members informing them about the deactivation of their Aadhaar Cards under provisions of the Regulation of 28A of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016," she said.

She further said that it is surprising that such a process of de-activation of Aadhaar Cards without any prior intimation and



also without giving any opportunity of being heard to the card holders is in gross violation of the Regulation 29(1) of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016 and also in gross violation of natural justice. 

"In this context, I have received a number of representations including those from Tapasili Federation. The present development has created chaos and hue and cry among the residents of the State, as a large number of people are approaching the district administration for redressal of their grievances. Every citizen in the State is in a state of fear on this matter," she said in the letter.

"I would like to know the causes for such sudden deactivation of Aadhaar cards without assigning reasons. Is it to deprive beneficiaries of benefits or to create a panic situation among people before LS polls?" she said.

"I would like to know from you about the causes for such sudden action of de-activation of Aadhaar Cards without assigning reasons. Is it just for the sake of depriving the eligible beneficiaries of the benefit or to create a panic situation among the people at large just before the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections? I am really shocked to see such an action of de-activation of Aadhaar Cards in the State against the interest of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and the poor section of the society. I thought of bringing it to your kind information," the CM added.

Banerjee has been asserting that the BJP-led central government is deactivating the Aadhaar cards of SC, ST, and minority community individuals in the state prior to the Lok Sabha elections, suggesting it as a prelude to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).