The leader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Ajay Singh on Saturday demanded white paper from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the announcements made at 34 'Panchayats' held at chief minister house, their implementation, beneficiaries' names and the cost incurred in organising the events.
Singh in a statement said, "During the past decade, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of the State expended in excess of `300 crore in organising Panchayats. The funds should have been spent in the common man's interest."
The High Court's order on Friday on a public interest litigation that no part of the fund deposited in the Sannirman Karmkar Mandal that is earmarked for labourers' treatment, pensions and their children's marriages be spent on the Mazdoor Panchayat, to be conducted here on Sunday, is shameful for the Government, Singh said while alleging that in view of the approaching Assembly elections the BJP government is misusing Government funds for propaganda.
The senior Congress leader said that the high court order is a slap on the face of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government that is out to misuse the treasury for the propaganda of the BJP for the assembly elections scheduled later this year.
The high court order has also exposed the BJP government that how is has misused the government machinery and funds for organising the Panchayats and doing publicity of the BJP on it, he added.
He said that the funds State Government was about to made during the Mazdoor Panchayat are actually reserved funds for the pension of labourers, marriages of their children and treatment. A decision to make expenses of `3.5 crore from this fund was taken in the 28th meeting of Sannirman Karmkar Mandal held on April 4.
In an earlier meeting of the Mandal held on March 25, the members opposed expenditure of funds for the Panchayat. Under pressure from state government an emergency meeting was called on April that took the decision to provide funds for Panchayat. The members opposed to the decision knock the doors of high court that issued orders on it, he added.