Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
AAP protecting its own in MGNREGA corruption, poor paying the price: Ashwani Sharma
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, December 31, 2025: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has failed to provide the statutory 100 days of employment under MGNREGA to lakhs of people from weaker sections, workers, and Dalit families over the past nearly four years, alleged Ashwani Sharma, Working President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab. He said this failure has not only denied employment to the poor but has also stripped them of their dignity and means of survival.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Sharma, accompanied by BJP State Vice President Dr Subhash Sharma and State Media Head Vineet Joshi, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of protecting its own leaders involved in MGNREGA corruption. He alleged that through corruption in the scheme, AAP leaders and MLAs have robbed the poor of their rightful livelihood.
Sharma said that serious issues related to MGNREGA were raised by him during the Assembly session and later highlighted in a press conference on December 29. However, the Chief Minister failed to respond to these questions. He claimed that Mann’s silence proves that the AAP government has taken away the employment guarantee of the poor under MGNREGA.
Through the media, Sharma again questioned the Chief Minister, asking why, when the Modi-led central government releases funds for 100 days of employment for every worker in Punjab, the state government does not provide the full 100 days of work.
He further pointed out that mandatory social audits under MGNREGA were not conducted in 6,095 gram panchayats in 2024–25 and in 7,389 gram panchayats in 2025–26, raising questions about whose corruption is being concealed. Sharma also questioned why no action has been taken in 10,653 corruption cases identified by the Special Audit Unit and why those found guilty continue to be protected.
Ashwani Sharma said that MGNREGA workers and their organisations have repeatedly accused AAP MLAs, MPs, and local leaders of involvement in corruption. The Chief Minister’s continued inaction, he alleged, clearly indicates that the Mann government is shielding its own leaders implicated in MGNREGA-related irregularities.