Chhattisgarh minister TS Singh Deo, locked in a turf war with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on Saturday resigned from Panchayat and Rural development department, claiming not a single house was built for homeless people under the Prime Minister housing scheme as funds were not allotted by the CM despite "repeated request".
The development comes over a year ahead of the assembly elections in the Congress-ruled state.
Singh Deo will, however, remain the minister for Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Twenty Point Implementation and Commercial Tax departments.
He slammed the Baghel government stating that houses could not be constructed for eight lakh people in the state although providing houses to the homeless poor was a key promise in the Congress' poll manifesto.
The sudden development is seen as the bitter fallout of an old political rivalry between Baghel and Singh Deo, who was seeking the chief minister's post under a purported power-sharing agreement.
“I have resigned from the Panchayat and Rural Development Department,” the minister said.
In a four-page resignation letter addressed to the chief minister, Singh Deo cited various reasons stating that he was unable to fulfil the targets of the department as per the vision of the Jan Ghoshna Patra (poll manifesto), given the "current scenario".
He said despite his request, funds were not sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, as a result of which houses could not be constructed for eight lakh people in the state.
“Despite my repeated request to you, funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna were not allotted as a result of which houses could not be constructed for 8 lakh people. Providing houses to the homeless poor was a key promise in the poll manifesto. But in the incumbent government, not a single house was built for the homeless and progress of the scheme was nil,” he said in the letter.
He also claimed the draft of rules under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act prepared by his department and sent to a committee was changed without taking him into confidence.
Under the Mukhyamantri Samagra Gramin Vikas Yojna, a committee of secretaries headed by the chief secretary was constituted against the standard protocol for granting final approval to works. The discretion to approve works of any department lies with the concerned minister, he added.
“I have raised objections over the constitution of this committee but it went in vain, due to which development works worth over Rs 500 crore could not be implemented”, he said.
“As part of a conspiracy, employment assistants under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act were made to stage a strike, in which the role of Assistant Project Officers (Contract) was clearly visible. A committee was constituted by you (Bhupesh Baghel) to fulfil the demands of the protesting MGNREGA employees, even after this the strike was not called off, due to which the wage payment of about 1,250 crores was affected which could support the rural economy,” he said.
Singh Deo further stated he was not in favour of the re-appointment of Assistant Project Officers (contractual) under MGNREGA.
Singh Deo, who represents the Ambikapur seat in the Surguja region, had told PTI in the evening that he had decided to dissociate himself from the Panchayat and Rural Development Department on Friday night.
In June last year, the differences between Baghel and Singh Deo had flared up shortly after the former completed his mid-term in the office.
The fresh flash point between Baghel and Singh Deo seems coal mine projects in the Hasdeo Arand forest area of the Surguja district.
Singh Deo had visited the Hasdeo Arand area in support of locals who are opposing coal mining and had announced that he would take the first bullet or blow from a stick if protesters are subjected to bullets and sticks.
Baghel, however, tried to paper over the cracks saying if Singh Deo does not want trees to be cut for the coal mine projects then not a single branch will be chopped.
Singh Deo had also said he will go to Delhi and apprise Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of the "pain and demands" of the protestors.
In June 2021, political circles in Chhattisgarh were abuzz with speculations that Singh Deo would take over as the next chief minister for the remaining term as per a purported power-sharing agreement believed to be brokered between Singh Deo and Baghel by Congress leadership when the party was elected to power in the 2018 polls.
Last August, the Congress high command had summoned Baghel and Singh Deo to Delhi in a bid to resolve the power tussle.
At least 54 of the 70 MLAs of Congress had visited Delhi separately when Baghel was in the national capital, in an apparent show of strength on his side.
State BJP president Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday night said quitting a ministry by Singh Deo has proved the "dictatorial attitude" of Baghel. He alleged that Baghel was not allowing his cabinet colleagues to discharge their duties freely.
"Singh Deo should resign from other departments too if he is not being sidelined and not allowed to do his job," Sai added.
