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“Centre discriminating against Rajasthan”

JAIPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged discrimination by the Centre in releasing funds to the party ruled Rajasthan in the schemes under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). While the other States are getting timely funds from the Centre for the scheme, allocations of three months are due in the case of Rajasthan, the party has pointed out.

“The Centre is giving a step-motherly treatment to Rajasthan. There are many instances but a glaring one is of NREGA funds,” Gopinath Munde, general secretary in charge of Rajasthan told journalists here over the weekend.

“The United Progressive Alliance Government is intentionally delaying the release of the funds,” Mr.Munde said pointing out that Rajasthan could not pay its labour under NREGS for the past three months due to this. Mr.Munde is in the capital to attend a two-day meeting of the State executive in connection with the coming Assembly elections.

“An amount of Rs.1, 329 crores is due and the delay is blocking the payment to the people employed,” Mr.Munde said. He warned of an agitation if the Centre does not release funds in another five days. “The party workers would hold protests at tehsil levels if the funds are not made available by then,” he said.

Mr. Munde targeted the Centre on many fronts—as did Omprakash Mathur, the State BJP president who, in his presidential address spoke mostly of the Centre’s omissions and commissions and very little on the State where the party is ruling—including for not clearing the stringent anti-terror laws enacted by the legislative assemblies of the BJP ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. “Even after so many bomb blasts the Union Home Ministry has not forwarded the legislations to the President for assent,” Mr. Munde noted. “Terrorism needs stringent laws and all the parties are talking about such a need. Yet the Congress, in its attempt to appease the minorities, is stopping these legislations from becoming laws,” he charged.

Mr. Munde was also critical about the Centre not inviting Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to Barsinghsar in Bikaner district early this month where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was the chief guest at a function to mark the start of the construction of a lignite-based power plant by the Neyveli Lignite Corporation. “The Chief Minister was not even invited for the function. It is an insult the whole State. The Centre should not have stopped to this level,” he said.

Talking about the selection of candidates for the forthcoming elections Mr. Munde ruled out any age bar for the candidates.

“Anyone who can stand up on his own is good enough provide he has a good image and winning chances,” Mr. Munde said when told about an earlier Congress decision not to give tickets to those who have crossed 70 years. The BJP’s first list of candidates would be read by the end of October, he revealed.

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