BJP MLA confronts UP min over poor roads, lack of drinking water in Mahoba

Jhansi: BJP's Charkhari MLA Brij Bhushan Rajput on Friday had a verbal spat with Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh in Mahoba, alleging poor roads and unavailability of drinking water in his constituency. The incident unfolded when Rajput and his supporters stopped Singh's convoy on the Sagar-Kanpur highway near Ramshree Mahavidyalaya in Mahoba to draw attention to lack of civic amenities, particularly Charkhari. Singh was in Mahoba to attend an event hosted by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Rajput said the govt claims that Mahoba was leading in implementation of the Har Ghar Nal scheme. "If this is the situation in the No. 1 district, one can assume the status in other districts," he said.
"How should I answer the people in my constituency," Rajput asked Singh. The minister tried to calm the legislator, but Rajput and his supporters were agitated. Some of them clashed with the police, putting the minister in a state of discomfiture. "This is not the way to discuss the problems. Tell me the villages where there is a problem. I am ready to visit 40 villages. It is our job to provide water. The officers are with me. If roads are dug somewhere and water is not available, then I will suspend the officers," Singh told the agitators. Later, speaking to TOI, Singh said the issue would be resolved soon. Sources said Singh was peeved with Rajput's stance, as the MLA, instead of meeting him personally, resorted to a show of strength. "It is my job to confront the minister to get public issues addressed. And I will continue to do so," Rajput told reporters. Rajput said the minister gave an ultimatum of 20 days to the officers concerned. "And if the officers fail to meet the deadline, all gram pradhans would take the protest to Lucknow," he said. Rajput said he was not confronting a minister of his "own party" but opening a morcha to take on inefficient officers and engineers. "This is the govt of people. Schemes like Har Ghar Nal have been envisaged under the Modi govt. And it is the duty of BJP MLAs and MPs to ensure that the schemes are implemented at the ground level," he said. SP Prabal Pratap Singh denied that any protest or scuffle took place.