Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, Thursday, demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government order a CBI probe into the MNREGA scam in the state.
In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Daddu Prasad, he said that only a CBI probe into the scam can send the right message to the people that the government is seriously working against corruption.
Ramesh, while pitching strongly for the CBI probe, also wrote that the deliberate misappropriation of public funds will not be tolerated at any cost.
Also, clarifying his stand over the allegations by the Mayawati government that his letters were politically motivated in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state, Ramesh wrote that it was not the case and the letter was based on facts.
"There is no politics involved. My letter is based on reports of NLMs (National Level Monitors) and SQM (State Quality Monitor) who found embezzlement of funds. There are instances of deliberate misuse of MGNREGA funds (in some districts)," Ramesh said of his communication to Mayawati which prompted her to write a letter to the Prime Minister.
Ramesh had earlier accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of MGNREGA.
Replying to this, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday rejected his allegations as "politically motivated".
Mayawati in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also accused the Rural Development Minister of having a pre-conceived agenda and arriving at conclusions without taking cognisance of steps taken by her government.
