Suspended ex-Surat collector involved in Rs 2,000 cr land scam exposed by Cong, claims party leader
Surat (PTI): The opposition Congress in Gujarat on Tuesday alleged that IAS officer and former collector of Surat Aayush Oak was involved in a Rs 2,000 crore land scam, exposed by the party in May.
The allegation came a day after the state government on Monday suspended Oak on charges of committing "negligence" while dealing with a revenue land matter between 2021 and 2024 as the then-collector of Surat district.
Addressing the media, Congress leader Darshan Nayak claimed that he had sent a letter to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on May 25, seeking an inquiry against Oak for allegedly entering the name of a tenant farmer into the revenue records of a government land worth Rs 2,000 crore in the Dumas area of Surat city.
Oak, serving as Valsad district collector at the time of suspension, allegedly caused a huge financial loss to the government exchequer while dealing with the land matter, the state's General Administration Department (GAD) said in an order on Monday without elaborating.
The IAS officer was transferred to Valsad from Surat on January 31, 2024.
Nayak shared a copy of the letter he emailed to the chief minister in May and demanded an inquiry into the decisions taken by Oak as Surat collector.
"This piece of land measuring 2.17 lakh square meters in the Dumas area has been classified as government land in the revenue records since 1948, and it is now worth nearly Rs 2,000 crore. As per the laws governing tenancy and agricultural lands, the names of tenant farmers cannot be entered in the records of government land," said Nayak, who serves as a general secretary in the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.
When nearly 22 persons had filed applications before the district collector demanding that their names be included in the records of that land, the then collector had taken this matter suo motu in 2015 and rejected all these applications in the public interest, he said.
Even after that, no collector had challenged that order and the land remained a government-owned land in revenue records, Nayak said.
"However, as part of a conspiracy in connivance with land mafias and political leaders, Oak, a day before his transfer, gave his approval to enter the name of one Krushnamukhlal Shroff as a tenant farmer, which would establish that person's right on that precious land. This was perhaps a first incident wherein a tenant was added in the revenue records of government land," he claimed.
The Congress leader said the state government overturned Oak's order in May and initiated an inquiry after the matter was brought to light by the opposition party.
Nayak said he along with sitting Congress MLA, Dr Tushar Chaudhary, had addressed a press conference on May 20, and demanded Oak's suspension and registration of an FIR against him and others involved in the alleged scam of capturing the government land.
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Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
