Chandigarh, January 7
To make people aware of the misinformation being spread by opposition parties, including AAP and Congress, regarding the Viksit Bharat Ji RAM Ji scheme, the Bharatiya Janata Party today launched a statewide public awareness campaign from village Kheowali Dhaba in Fazilka district.
On this occasion, the State BJP President Sunil Jakhar said that under the new scheme it has been ensured that the money meant for poor labourers reaches them directly, and the number of employment days has been increased from 100 to 125. He said the new law tightens the noose around those who used corruption to deprive the poor of their rightful dues, which is why AAP, Congress and other opposition parties are opposing it.
Calling the Viksit Bharat Ji RAM Ji scheme a major initiative of the Government of India in the interest of the poor, the Jakhar said that now the poor’s money will not go into the pockets of contractors and leaders but will be credited directly into the labourer’s bank account. He said corruption has been eliminated from the scheme, which is why those who benefitted through corrupt practices under the old NREGA scheme are protesting, as their illegal income is now coming to an end. He added that more than 6,500 cases of corruption under NREGA have come to light in Punjab, yet Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has taken no action against even a single corrupt person who looted the rights of the poor.
Continuing his sharp attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar said that this year the government provided only 26 days of employment under the old NREGA scheme, which it is now defending, and in Fazilka district the average was merely 17 days. He questioned the Chief Minister, asking that if the old scheme was so effective, why was 100 days of employment not provided. He said that in reality, the earlier scheme fixed no accountability, whereas under the new law responsibility will be clearly defined, which is why the state government is lamenting.
Reminding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of the approaching Assembly elections, Jakhar said that the Delhi leaders to whom he has mortgaged the state government will eventually leave, but he alone will have to face the curses of the people of Punjab. He said there is still time for the Chief Minister to take stock of the deteriorating law-and-order situation and work in public interest. He added that the government’s “war against drugs” has been reduced to a mere public relations exercise, with neither drugs nor gangsterism being effectively curbed on the ground.
Jakhar said that due to the AAP government’s immature policies, Punjab today stands at a crossroads, from which only a strong government can rescue it. He said people of Punjab are now realizing that BJP is the only strong alternative, capable of pulling the state out of economic bankruptcy and ensuring development for all sections, while providing stable and peaceful governance. He said BJP can restore Punjab’s lost glory and once again make it a leading state of the country.
Earlier, former minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, MLA Sandeep Jakhar, Vandana Sangwan and other leaders also addressed the gathering. Despite the biting cold, a large number of people attended and witnessed the awareness programme.
Later, Jakhar also visited the site adjacent to the residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Fazilka, where crores of rupees were embezzled in the name of the old NREGA scheme to create a so-called “Badda Lake.” He pointed out that no lake exists at the site, even though payments have already been made from the government treasury.
