Dahod MP Babu Katara may have flagged off the Rozi Roti Lokjumbesh (People’s Campaign for Right to Food and Work), the first such campaign for social audit of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Gujarat held in Panchmahals and Dahod districts. But on Thursday, Rajgadh MLA Fatesinh Chauhan gave a piece of his mind to activists and NGOs who are running the social audit. “These organisations have taken up some good issues, but they should respect our culture. Any programme has to be started by lighting lamps and propitiating Ganesh Dev,” Chauhan said. In addition to this cultural reminder, Chauhan warned the activists to stop pressurising the sarpanch and talatis while taking up an NREGA campaign and make it clear to the villagers that the work they are doing are being funded by the government. If this was not enough, the grassroot workers had to exercise caution and be perceived as absolutely apolitical while on padyatra, as part of which they had camped and moved in 82 villages of Panchmahals and Godhra, where NREGA is being implemented. As the public campaign grew in momentum, at times there were allegations of these activists being pro-Congress, as the scheme is funded by the Centre. In fact, while waving and shouting slogans, the activists preferred to wave with closed fists, as the open palm is associated with the Congress symbol. While state ministers and MLAs and MPs were invited to the first public hearing of NREGA held in Gujarat, in Aankhi village on Thursday, it was only Chauhan who turned up and that too just for a while. Switching between praise and veiled threats for the women activists, the BJP MLA said: “These activists have no business threatening the sarpanchs and talatis while seeking information. Instead, they should co-operate with authorities in getting works done. Also, if they want some information, they should get prior permission from the taluka and district authorities.” He also expressed his unhappiness with the way which the public programme was being conducted. “I have told all these ‘bens’ earlier that we will cooperate with them in all matters that respects our culture,” he said. There has already been widespread criticism of NREGA implementation. While a total of 6,21,819 job cards have been issued till January 11 in the six districts where NREGA is being implemented only 16,288 families have demanded work.
