Murshidabad man admits taking Lakshmir Bhandar benefits, blames “corrupt” TMC govt

A controversy has erupted over the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged that ineligible beneficiaries had been included under the women-centric welfare programme. During a press conference, he reportedly presented documents claiming that a man named Rakibul Sheikh had been receiving benefits under the scheme, triggering political reactions and renewed scrutiny over beneficiary verification.

Rakibul Sheikh, a resident of Berhampore in Murshidabad district and associated with Radharghat No. 1 Gram Panchayat, admitted that he had been receiving Lakshmir Bhandar payments since 2023. According to the allegations raised, both Rakibul and his wife had been receiving benefits under the scheme. Their names are also reportedly under review during the ongoing SIR verification process, due to which they allegedly could not cast votes.

Rakibul, who operates a hotel business, blamed the previous All India Trinamool Congress government after the matter became public. He stated that corruption under the earlier administration enabled such irregularities and said, “The previous government was corrupt, so we took the benefit.”

He further claimed that he initially did not understand how the money was being credited to his account. According to Rakibul, he later approached the office of the Block Development Officer seeking clarification but allegedly received no response. He said the payments continued thereafter and that some acquaintances advised him there was no issue in continuing to accept the money.

The controversy has surfaced at a time when the state government is shifting beneficiaries from Lakshmir Bhandar to the newly announced Annapurna Bhandar scheme and increasing scrutiny over beneficiary verification. The issue has also intensified debate over the identification of ineligible recipients and the verification mechanism used for welfare schemes.