BJP alleges UPA govt of 'step-motherly' attitude to Raj

Jaipur, Sep 27 (UNI) The ruling BJP state executive has charged the UPA Government at the Centre with meting out "step-motherly" treatment with Rajasthan in the release of funds for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS) works and warned that the party would launch an agitation, if the funds were not released within five days.

The state executive meeting, which was held here today, deplored the UPA Government for withholding the funds for the scheme for the past three months and said that it was sheer political discrimination against the BJP-ruled state.

The release of funds amounting to Rs 1,329 crore had been withheld for the past three months and this had led to non-payment of wages to the workers working on projects under the scheme in most of the districts in the state, BJP General Secretary Gopinath Munde told reporters here.

Interestingly, the funds for works in the four Parliamentary constituencies held by Congress MPs, had been released in time but the same for other 21 Parliamentary constituencies held by the ruling BJP MPs had been stopped for the past three months, Mr Munde alleged.

He said that the party would hold morchas at tehsil level, if the funds were not released within 5 days.

Mr Munde also condemned the Centre for not inviting Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje at the function for launching of mining operation at the Barsingsar Lignite mines in Bikaner by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on September 8. The issue figured at the executive meet and the party deplored the Centre's attitude against political courtesy.

Ms Raje had also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing her dismay in this regard.

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