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MNREGA charges politically motivated: Mayawati
UP Cabinet Secretary said Chief Minister Mayawati has also written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh giving clarifications regarding the issue.
Lucknow/New Delhi: Hitting back at the
Centre, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday rejected
as "politically motivated" Union Minister Jairam Ramesh`s
allegations of embezzlement and misuse of funds in
implementation of MGNREGA in her state.
Mayawati in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in
this regard today 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.
Ramesh swiftly rejected the charge, asserting there is "no politics" involved and that his letter to the BSP supremo in the poll-bound state is based on reports of National and State level monitors. He had also dared her to order a CBI probe on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MNREGA) implementation in UP.
"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 dash of a letter to the Prime Minister.
There were "deliberate instances" of embezzlement of funds in the BSP ruled state and "overwhelming" evidence against officials, he said, adding he would not hesitate to recommend a CBI probe even in Congress-ruled states if any irregularities in MGNREGA implementation were detected. Dismissing the charges made by Ramesh, Mayawati said, "The minister, through his letter, attempted to score political points by alleging misuse of funds by the UP. The letter was released to the media much before it was received here confirming the intentions of the minister."
Ramesh had earlier accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of MGNREGA.
On withholding release of funds under MGNREGA, Mayawati said funds released by Centre were not a largesse but form a part of the revenue sharing mechanism under federal system. "It would be appropriate, if the minister is apprised of the Centre-state fiscal arrangements provided in our Constitution. It is obvious that Ramesh has a pre-conceived agenda and has arrived at the conclusions without taking any cognisance of the steps taken by state government," she said.
PTI
Ramesh swiftly rejected the charge, asserting there is "no politics" involved and that his letter to the BSP supremo in the poll-bound state is based on reports of National and State level monitors. He had also dared her to order a CBI probe on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MNREGA) implementation in UP.
"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 dash of a letter to the Prime Minister.
There were "deliberate instances" of embezzlement of funds in the BSP ruled state and "overwhelming" evidence against officials, he said, adding he would not hesitate to recommend a CBI probe even in Congress-ruled states if any irregularities in MGNREGA implementation were detected. Dismissing the charges made by Ramesh, Mayawati said, "The minister, through his letter, attempted to score political points by alleging misuse of funds by the UP. The letter was released to the media much before it was received here confirming the intentions of the minister."
Ramesh had earlier accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of MGNREGA.
On withholding release of funds under MGNREGA, Mayawati said funds released by Centre were not a largesse but form a part of the revenue sharing mechanism under federal system. "It would be appropriate, if the minister is apprised of the Centre-state fiscal arrangements provided in our Constitution. It is obvious that Ramesh has a pre-conceived agenda and has arrived at the conclusions without taking any cognisance of the steps taken by state government," she said.
PTI