Reaffirming the Punjab Govt’s commitment to safeguarding citizens’ personal information under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023,
Punjab Govt: Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Friday declared that no individual, including BJP members, will be permitted to collect personal data from the public under any circumstances. He questioned whether the BJP would take responsibility for possible fraud arising from such unauthorized data collection drives.
Speaking at a press conference in Punjab Bhawan, Cheema alleged that the BJP has functioned as a “vote thief party” since 2014, citing irregularities from the Chandigarh mayoral polls to the Bihar elections. He termed the BJP’s data collection camps in Punjab as a strategy to manipulate voter rolls and potentially misuse sensitive information like Aadhaar and voter IDs for financial fraud.
The Finance Minister stressed that the Act clearly prohibits private individuals from collecting personal data without approval from the competent authority. He warned that BJP’s collection of key documents during such camps is illegal and could have serious consequences.
Cheema further accused the BJP of repeatedly attempting to weaken democracy and undermine the Constitution drafted by Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, highlighting past instances of voter list manipulation in Delhi Assembly elections, which were also flagged by AAP leaders and MPs.
Assuring citizens of Punjab, Cheema said the Mann government is committed to delivering welfare schemes transparently, with nearly 500 services being provided at people’s doorsteps through the state’s wide network of Sewa Kendras.
In a sharp message to Punjab BJP leaders, Cheema urged them to instead press the Centre to release pending dues—over ₹50,000 crore in GST compensation, ₹8,000 crore in Rural Development Funds, and ₹1,000 crore under PMGSY. Concluding, he reminded that the people of Punjab, who had bravely resisted the three controversial farm laws, are fully aware of BJP’s tactics.