Ahead of LS bypoll, Union Minister meets sarpanchces, discusses Central schemes

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, February 15

The visit of Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal today formally kickstarted the BJP’s activities for the upcoming Lok Sabha byelections in Jalandhar.

While Union Minister Meghwal’s visit was formally as per the Lok Sabha Parwas Yojana in keeping with the BJP’s Mission 2024, it however, does also play a vital mobilising factor for the upcoming Jalandhar bypoll.

The bypolls were necessitated on the Jalandhar Reserved Lok Sabha seat due to the demise of Congress MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh.

While various BJP leaders, including the BJP state president and key leadership, have been regularly visiting the Dera Sachkhand Ballan – as was also done ahead of the Ravidas Jayanti – the Union Minister also today called upon the dera Chief Sant Niranjan Dass today – a prominent leader venerated by the Ravidassia community in the region. He also visited Sant Nirmal Dass Jodewale.

As he met sarpanches and urban block chiefs at the Red Cross Bhawan today, he discussed the formal implementation of central schemes. A ritual, which he said would continue in the coming days. The schemes discussed on the occasion included the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, Pradhan Mantari Ujjwala Yojana, pension schemes and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushalya Yojana among others. As he said later, complaints of diversions in some of the schemes will also be investigated, he promised.

In most cases, panchayats or urban bodies which had received the benefits were asked to raise their hands and articulate the amount recieved in their village or area. Sarpanches of Kathar, Chathiara and other villages in Adampur block claimed of having received between Rs 1,20,000 and Rs 1,50,000.

Some of the sarpanches also complained of hold ups.

For example Sarpanch of the Pattar Khurd village as per thr Ujjwala Yojna cylinders had been received but here was no subsidy. A youth who had received benefits of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushalya Yojna, said he was being pestreed by banks. The minister assured the hold ups would be addressed. He reiterated time and again – “My aim today is facilitating development, not politics.” The minister also asked officials to convene the next meeting with vendors to discuss the PM Svanidhi Yojana.

However, the tour was not devoid of certain digs at the state government.

Questioned on the Ayushman scheme, regarding lack of benefits to some beneficiaries in state as comapred to other states, the minister said, “Iska matlab state govt garbar kar rahi hai na (then it means the state government is doing something wrong.) There are some states which are scared to implement the schemes brought in by Prime Minister Modi. They feel it might make him more powerful. That is why they do hanky panky in these. But these are all sharebale schemes. I saw the CM’s (Bhagwant Mann’s) statement. He also doesn’t undertsand it seems. Some schemes have been divided by previous committees. They want the state-Centre money-sharing ratios to be chanaged in some schemes. But they fail to undertsand in some cases it was done during the Congress time. It wasn’t done by the BJP. So they should blame the Congress, not the BJP?”

Will investigate diversion of funds

I will continue to meet representatives of panchayats and urban blocks in the coming days as well. Complaints of diversion of funds of Central schemes will be investigated. My aim today is to facilitate development, not politics. — Arjun Ram Meghwal, union minister