Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Nov 20: The ongoing letter war between Centre-State got murkier in Uttar Pradesh with Chief Minister (CM) Mayawati in her reply to union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh blamed him for releasing the letter to media before it reached Lucknow.
Mayawati also lashed out at Ramesh stating that he was targetting UP but not other states. She claimed that no other state is being harassed in a similar fashion. "It is being done deliberately in wake of coming assembly elections. The main concern is to tarnish the image of UP and not for implementation of MNREGS," said an official in Lucknow while reading out the statement of CM on Saturday.
To recall, Ramesh has written a letter to the state government for widespread scam in MNREGS and siphoning of funds. Ramesh has suggested thorough probe in dwindling of funds. Cabinet Secretary, Shashank Shekhar Singh who read out the statement of CM stated that UP has topped the list of performers in MNREGS and it is mentioned on the website of rural development ministry.These shortcomings have developed overnight and are an effort to malign the image of UP.
The state government also refuted the widespread charges of bungling in MNREGS in various districts. The specific mention of Sonbhadra was done with claim that action has been taken against several government officials and FIRs have been lodged.
The Cabinet Secretary tried to corner the Union Government claiming that state government received 21 reports of the central monitors in which 17 action taken reports have already been sent back and four were being prepared.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of Commerce and Textile Anand Shrma visited Varanasi and announced relief for weavers. Sharma announced the loans upto 50000 of weavers will be waived off. There are nearly 50 lakh weavers in the state whose ancestral trade is dying due to mechanisation and poor power supply.
However, state government termed it as an election stunt stating that union government has turned down state government's proposal for special packages and now offering sops. This is just an election stunt and being done to revive the dead Congress in the state while the central government did not wake up from slumber during past four and half years.