Cong MP gives privilege notice against MoS for 'misleading' statement on MGNREGS funding
New Delhi(PTI): Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore on Wednesday gave a notice to move a breach of privilege motion against Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani for allegedly making "misleading" statements in the House on MGNREGS funding.
In his notice to Speaker Om Birla, Tagore said the Minister of State for Rural Development made a "factually incorrect" statement during the Question Hour on Tuesday while responding to a supplementary by DMK MP K Kanimozhi on the delay in the release of Rs 4,034 crore MGNREGS funds owed to Tamil Nadu for the past five months.
"Pemmasani claimed that Tamil Nadu, with a population of 7 crore, receives more MGNREGS funding than Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 20 crore, and that Uttar Pradesh draws close to Rs 10,000 crore while Tamil Nadu draws more than Rs 10.000 crore," the Congress MP said.
Tagore said that according to the official data on the MGNREGS website, the total expenditure for Uttar Pradesh in the current fiscal year stands at Rs 11,860 crore, while the expenditure for Tamil Nadu is Rs 10.687 crore.
"The Central Government has released Rs 9,758 crore to Uttar Pradesh and ₹7,414 crore to Tamil Nadu so far this year. The funding under the MGNREGS scheme is determined by the demand for work, not based on population size, and hence, the minister's claim regarding the population-based allocation of funds is misleading," Tagore said.
He added, "The statement made by the Minister of State for Rural Development is misleading and factually incorrect, leading to confusion and misleading the House on an important issue related to the allocation and expenditure of MGNREGS funds."
"Given the importance of maintaining the integrity of statements made in the House and the impact of false information on public discourse, I request that a privilege motion be initiated against Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani for misleading the House and causing confusion regarding MGNREGS funding," the Congress leader said.
He urged the Speaker to direct the minister to provide clarification on this matter and take appropriate action in accordance with the rules of privileges.
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Will vacate one of two assembly seats won in 10 days: BJP''s Suvendu
Kolkata (PTI): BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and secured Nandigram for three times in a row in the recent assembly polls, said on Wednesday that he would vacate one of the two constituencies within 10 days.
Adhikari also asserted that the party's central leadership would decide which constituency he would retain.
"I will vacate one seat within 10 days. The party will decide which one I retain. I will not forget my responsibility towards the people of Bhabanipur and Nandigram," he said.
Adhikari on Monday defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes, puncturing what was long seen as her safest political refuge and delivering a decisive psychological blow to the TMC, amid a sweeping BJP surge across West Bengal.
Addressing party workers and supporters in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, the BJP leader appealed to them not to take out victory processions immediately and instead maintain peace.
"Do not take out victory rallies now. Maintain peace and discipline. Celebrate after May 9, after taking permission," he told party workers.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday announced that the oath-taking ceremony of the new government will be held on May 9 at Brigade Parade Ground.
Referring to alleged attacks on BJP workers during the TMC regime, Adhikari said he would not forget the “atrocities" faced by them and assured them of taking appropriate action against perpetrators through legal processes.
"I was part of the 2011 ‘poribartan’ (change), and now I am part of the real change. I offer my gratitude to the people of Nandigram," Adhikari said.
He was referring to the TMC's victory in 2011 when the Mamata Banerjee party dismantled the 34-year Left Front regime in the state.
Adhikari offered prayers at a Hanuman statue in Nandigram and remembered the BJP workers, who had died in political violence.
"We will work in such a way that the BJP government in Bengal stays for 100 years," he said, expressing hope that the BJP’s vote share in the state would rise from the current 46 per cent to 60 per cent in future elections.
The BJP leader also assured residents of Nandigram of improved drinking water supply and better hospital and education infrastructure.
