ED searches at multiple places in West Bengal in 'embezzlement' of MGNREGA funds
KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday morning raided multiple places in West Bengal in connection with its investigation into alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds, officials said.
The raids come a day after the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, refused to disclose details of his meeting with Union Home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday, however hinted that "actions would soon be visible".
Raids which continued for more than eight hours were conducted at a government official’s quarters in Jhargram, a businessman’s house in Hooghly’s Chinsurah, an expelled panchayat worker’s house in Murshidabad, and former block development officer’s residence in Salt Lake, North 24 Parganas.
This is the first time the federal agency is conducting raids in the state in connection with the alleged corruption linked to the rural employment guarantee scheme.
When the Centre has stopped releasing funds under the MGNREGA since 2021 citing irregularities, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Union government of depriving the people of the state of their rightful dues. She staged a sit-in-demonstration for 48 hours in Kolkata and before concluding, she announced that the state government would pay 21 lakh MGNREGA workers.
The ED initiated the probe into the alleged irregularities after filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (EICR) on the bases of five FIRs lodged with several police stations, including two in Murshidabad and one in Hooghly.
Adhikari met shah at a time when Mamata is mounting pressure on the Centre over the issue of releasing fund under the MGNREGA. Sources in the BJP said, Adhikari raised the issue of the misappropriation of the Centre’s fund in the meeting and requested not to release Bengal’s dues without probing into the alleged anomalies.
“I cannot share details of the meeting with Shah. But you will see the action shortly,” Adhikari said after coming out of Shah’s office.
According to the investigating agency, fake job cards were created to collect and siphon money meant for the 100-day job scheme under the rural employment guarantee scheme.
ED’s raid aid to be significant in the backdrop of Mamata’s announcement to pay 21 lakh Bengal workers before the upcoming Assembly elections.
“It seems the chief minister is all set to make the issue its poll plank highlighting BJP-led Centre’s anti-poor image. And the BJP too, appears to be desperate to bring forward the Mamata Banerjee government’s corruption issue responsible for the Centre’s decision to freeze the fund,” said leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
TMC minister Shashi Panja described the ED’s act as BJP’s vendetta politics. “After the chief minister announced to pay MGNREGA workers, the BJP Is shaken and doing this. Today’s action show that the ED and the CBI are being used as tools. Follow the chronology. Adhikari met the Union Home minister and next day, the ED swung into action,” she alleged.
The BJP has alleged that the Bengal government had issued 2.5 million fake job cards to siphon off the Centre’s fund.