Vijayawada: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims to enhance the livelihood security of rural poor seems brewing a storm in the TDP-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh.

The ruling TDP appears to be irked over a section of ginger group in the BJP joining chorus with the YSRCP on implementing the scheme. Close on the heels of the YSRCP MP Vijayasayi Reddy’s complaint to the Centre over alleged violation of guidelines and misuse of funds in executing the job scheme, BJP senior leader and MLC Somu Veerraju also reportedly petitioned the government, endorsing his views. TDP senior leader and Rajahmundry MLA Gorantla Buchchaiah Chowdary at a media conference on Sunday launched a diatribe against the BJP state leadership for allegedly working at cross purposes by tarnishing the image of the TDP government on the scheme.

The NDA government stopped release of funds to the tune of Rs 500cr under the scheme, allegedly citing the complaint from the YSRCP. As a result, around 5 lakh poor families engaged in the MGNREGA works during the period from April to June failed to receive wages yet. The contractors entrusted with the works have been running from the pillar to the poor for sanction of pending bills since then. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Centre with a request to release the funds and Panchayat Raj minister Nara Lokesh represented union government on the issue twice.

Taking serious note of the YSRCP’s alleged cynical attitude, Naidu called upon the TDP leadership to counter the former’s `misinformation campaign’ on implementation of the job scheme.

The BJP state leadership is failing to hide its displeasure over the manner in which the centrally sponsored scheme was allegedly using as though it is the baby of the state government. “Funds flow from the Centre and the state government takes all the credit. It’s quite unfair,” commented a senior BJP leader. In a bid to drive his point home, he cited some state government schemes carrying the name of AP CM such as Chandranna Baata under which CC roads were laid in villages with the MGNREGA funds.

The TDP however has a different take on the issue. Development of villages, especially SC colonies, water conservation efforts under farm ponds and construction of mandal level stadiums, of course, with the MGNREGA funds, boosted the image of the government. The YSRC as an opposition party is failing to digest transformation of villages, asserts TDP spokesman Dokka Manikya Varaprasad.

V Venkateswarlu, general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Vyvasya Karmika Sangham, blamed the NDA government for allowing use of machineries for dilution of the scheme.

“Actually, the scheme is meant to address the distress conditions in the drought-affected areas by arresting migration of rural workforce by guaranteeing work within their areas, he said. The scheme was extended to laying of roads, digging of farm ponds and construction of Anganwadi centres, panchayat raj office buildings and now the mandal level stadiums by substantially increasing material component, defeating its very purpose, he added.

The state has been receiving an annual allocation of a little over Rs 2,500 crore under the MGNREGA scheme after bifurcation.

G Nagaraja