Patna: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) national president Chirag Paswan accused the Congress of misleading people by spreading fear about the government’s schemes, including MGNREGA, on Sunday, January 11.
Talking to reporters here, he said, “Parties like Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have been doing politics of instigating fear among the people by weaving a misleading narrative around laws and schemes like Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana, and VB-G RAM G.”
Accusing the opposition of sensationalising the renaming of MGNREGA by invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, he said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is ready to debate on the merits of the new scheme, VB-G RAM G, rather than its name.
They even challenge a “crucial and regular” exercise like Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he said, adding that “people of Bihar have answered their vote chori allegations through a democratic process.”
“Just like they helped us win Bihar by creating a ruckus around SIR, they will assist us in clinching West Bengal and Assam by trying to make an issue out of VB-G RAM G,” he said.
Paswan defended VB-G RAM G Act as symbolising “collective responsibility on the lines of federal structure” of the Indian nation.
“Congress and RJD claim that VB-G RAM G Act has placed extra burden on states by increasing their contribution to the overall budget for the scheme. Little do they realise that this has been done to ensure collective responsibility on the lines of the federal structure of the country,” he claimed.
The Union minister emphasised that the absence of such “collective responsibility” within MGNREGA was the biggest reason behind its failure, as states did not assume a “sense of ownership.”
He claimed that VB-G RAM G has increased the number of working days, transitioned from “earth digging” to infrastructure projects, and ensured better monitoring facilities to plug the loopholes.
Taking a jibe at the Congress, he said, “Why are they worried about the burden on states? In how many states do they have government anyway? They should not worry about states as we will form double-engine government in the remaining states as well, including West Bengal, and down south.”
Paswan alleged that the Congress is worried because the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has disbanded a scheme “they devised for carrying out corruption.”
“MGNREGA was reduced to a ‘den of corruption’ and only those involved as middlemen benefited from it, not the poor people,” he said.
The Union minister hinted that by the end of this month, LJP(RV) will announce structural changes in the party structure.
“Now that I am a part of the government, unlike in the past when I used to say that I merely support the alliance, I will ensure complete accountability of my legislators and modify the party structure,” Paswan asserted.
He also said that he met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday morning and invited him for Dahi Chura on January 15.
The minister asserted that the coming five years will be “the golden age of Bihar” under the NDA government.
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