NREGS: Sonia blames Opp, warns of agitation

New Delhi, May 26: Describing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS) as a revolutionary and historic step taken by the UPA Government, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today charged the Opposition-ruled states with seeking to take political advantage of the programme and warned the party would launch an agitation in such states if it was not properly implemented.

Pointing out that 90 per cent of the expenditure being incurred on the programme was being borne by the Centre, she said the Congress was the only party which had mentioned about the programme in its manifesto and later incorporated it in the National Common Minimum Programme of the UPA Government.

Mrs Gandhi was inaugurating a day long AICC Convention of the DCC presidents of the 200 districts in the country where the NREGS is being implemented.

The Convention was addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states where the programme is under implementation, besides PCC presidents and CLP leaders, ministers and party general secretaries incharge of the programme in various states.

Mrs Gandhi said the Congress did not discriminate on political grounds among the states. No wonder a sizeable section of the beneficiaries of the programme were in the Opposition-ruled states.

''There should be no politics in the matter of development.'' She called upon the District Congress Committee presidents and party workers in the Opposition-ruled states to put the correct picture of the programme before the people and to remain vigilant to see to that the scheme was properly implemented. ''Any government scheme can succeed only with the participation of the party,'' she emphasised.

Mrs Gandhi said in the Congress-ruled states, where the NREGS was under implementation, it was the duty of the Chief Ministers to maintain a 'live contact' with the party workers to keep themselves informed about its proper implementation. Often, she said the report sent by the Government and by the party about the progress of any scheme varied. ''This should not be so,'' she said and called upon the ministers at the Centre and states to keep in touch with party workers and seek their coopertation sparing some time for them during their tours of diffeent places.

''The ministers could also visit the party offices during their tours. This will boost the morale of the party workiers,'' she added.

Stressing the need for making an assessment of the NREGS, Mrs Gandhi said if there was any shortcoming in the implementation that had to be corrected. ''We have to see that the scheme is benefitting the genuine unemployed and wrong persons are not taking advantage of it.'' She said the panchayat raj instituions and Self Help Groups of women could contribute their mite in the proper implementation of the programme, and see to it that the scheme achieved its target.

Complimenting the Prime Minister on successful completion of two years of the UPA government, Mrs Gandhi said running a coalition was a great challenge,a task which called for a great deal of patience and understanding. There were challenges galore but under the 'able leadership' of Dr Manmohan Singh, the Government was successfully facing the challenges.

UNI