India, Aug. 22 -- A welfare promise that helped the BJP campaign for power in West Bengal is now confronting its first major political test on the streets.

On Friday, women gathered outside district magistrates' offices, block development offices and even the residences of ministers across the state, demanding answers over their exclusion from the Annapurna Bhandar scheme.

The protests have raised a question that goes beyond the list of beneficiaries: why has a scheme designed to provide financial support to women generated such anger so soon after its rollout?

The immediate dispute centres on eligibility, verification and the exclusion of applicants who expected to receive the benefit.

However, the wider controversy has also exposed ...