Coming out strongly against the Majdoor Panchyat held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government here on Sunday, leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Ajay Singh termed it “a sham panchayat”.
“The Government has collected Rs 870.62 crore by imposing cess in the name of labourers’ welfare. However, only Rs 270 crore is spent out of that fund. The Government should make public the information of the people who have been benefited from this fund,” Singh said, adding that it is doubtful if even Rs 270 crore is spent on actual labourers. “The way this Government tried to divert money from labourers’ welfare fund for this panchayat raise serious doubts on its motive,” he added. He further alleged that most of the schemes that were announced in the panchayat are originally schemes launched by the Central Government. “By repackaging the Centre schemes, Shivraj Singh Chouhan is getting free publicity,” he said.
Singh also said that the BJP Government has cheated the labourers who were brought here on the promise that they would be paid money for it. “But when the panchayat ended, those who had promised them the money simply disappeared,” he said.
Further, the labourers were served rotten food which also shows that BJP Government has no concern for the welfare of the labourers. Targeting the series of such panchayats that have been organised by the BJP Government here, Singh said that these panchayats have become a profitable activity for the BJP leaders and contractors associated with the party.
“The BJP leaders have their commission and contracts fixed for everything including tent, mike, chairs, food and water and even for transporting people in the panchayats. The BJP workers participate in the panchayats. The truth is that the Govt has no concern for the people in whose name these panchayats are called,” he alleged.