Chandigarh, Aug. 23 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday attacked BJP-led Union Government, accusing it of snatching food from lakhs of poor families by arbitrarily cutting ration cards in the state.

Mann said that while the BJP often projects itself as the "provider of rations" to 80 crore Indians, recent reports revealed that the Centre has planned to delete 8,02,493 ration cards in Punjab. "If one card covers four members on average, this decision will deprive nearly 32 lakh people of their rightful ration," the CM said.

He alleged that the criteria fixed for cancellation were unrealistic and unfair. "The Union Government says ration cards will be cut if a family owns a four-wheeler, has an annual turnover of Rs 2...