Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha on December 5, lashed out at Trinamool Congress members and accused them of spreading “falsehood” after TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay had said that she refused to meet a delegation over delay in releasing Central funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
“They kept changing their stance. First, they said a delegation of five MPs wants to come and meet me. Then they changed it to 10 MPs. Then Mahua Moitra said she wont meet but will come with all MPs. I kept waiting in my office for two and half hours,” the Minister of State for Rural Development told the Lok Sabha, referring to a two month old incident.
In October, the TMC had accused that the Minister had kept waiting a delegation of MPs — who wanted to meet her to press for the release of MGNREGA funds — and eventually left through the back gate.
“That’s a lie. They didn’t want to meet but just do propaganda,” the Minister said, adding that Ms. Moitra had targeted an ascetic but is now facing the consequences.
The spat happened after Mr Bandyopadhyay raised the issue during the Zero Hour and accused the the Centre of blocking central fund including MGNREGA funds for over two years.
“You keep saying corruption...West Bengal is a big State that has 38,000 villages. If there are complaints from a few villages, why stop funds for the whole State?” asked Mr. Bandyopadhyay.
Though Trinamool MPs wanted to respond the Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla didn’t allow. Ms. Moitra, against whom the Ethics Committee was supposed to submit a report in the cash-for-query allegation, was also present in the House. On the second day of the winter session too, the Ethics Committee, headed by BJP’s Vinod Sonkar, is yet to table its report even though it was listed on Monday.
