Ahmedabad, Oct 19 (PTI) The Congress on Monday accused the BJP government in Gujarat of withholding the payment to labourers under the rural employment guarantee scheme since June 20 this year.
A Gujarat BJP spokesperson said there is no shortage of funds, hinting at a potential technical or administrative issue in disbursal of dues.
Congress national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil claimed the government has neglected rural workers by denying them wages under the MGNREGA scheme (replaced by the Viksit Bharat – G RAM G Act) introduced by the then UPA government to ensure that rural workers are not left without employment.
“The Gujarat government has failed to pay the wages of labourers who have engaged in strenuous, hard labour since June 20. The Act mandates that payment for any work performed by a labourer be credited directly into his bank account within 15 days,” he claimed while addressing a news conference.
Citing the example of Bhavnagar district, he claimed wages amounting to Rs 2.66 crore earned by labourers remained unpaid for several months.
He also provided a copy of a letter dated September 17, 2026, written by the Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Bhavnagar, to the Commissioner of Rural Development.
“The letter highlighted that, under the legal provisions of the MGNREGA scheme, payments to labourers should be made within 15 days of the completion of work; yet, in Bhavnagar district, these payments remain outstanding to this day,” Gohil alleged.
He said the Director of the DRDA, Bhavnagar, detailed the outstanding dues, amounting to lakhs of rupees, maintaining that labourers have threatened to launch protests or even commit suicide.
“Details have emerged regarding numerous instances of corruption within this scheme, involving leaders and a former minister of the BJP. It is entirely unacceptable for corrupt individuals to profit from the MGNREGA scheme while labourers are denied payment for their hard work,” Gohil added.
Gujarat BJP spokesperson Anil Patel said Gohil is referring to a single district and his claims stemmed from a letter by a single official.
“We need to investigate whether there is some technical difficulty, as there is certainly no shortage of funds under MGNREGA. The government has already allocated the funds; however, I must determine if there is an issue related to technical, administrative, or correspondence matters.
“It would not be appropriate to comment further until I have the complete information,” he said. PTI KA PD NSK
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