Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is facing a tough time in Jharkhand with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) coming under severe criticism.
The UPA’s favourite project may just prove to be its undoing and people fighting for work and wages under the scheme are being arrested on flimsy charges.
Niyamat Ansari, the man who forced the Latehar district administration to pay unemployment allowance under the NREGS now finds himself behind bars.
The Forest Department has alleged that Niyamat and some other people prevented forest employees from digging a trench in their village.
Forest officials insist that the people also threatened to kill them.
A few days back, CNN-IBN had shown how Niyamat had been campaigning for people's rights under the NREGS.
He had already escaped an attack on his life and was aware of the dangers his work entailed.
"We come in the way of middlemen who make money out of this. They don't like it." Niyamat Ansari had said.
Niyamat's supporters believe that he is being targeted because of his crucial role in getting the local government pay an unemployment allowance to 78 villagers.
It was particularly humiliating for the administration when the local Block Development Officer had to pay a personal fine of Rs 1000 for failing to provide work.
Ironically, Niyamat's words find an echo in Union Rural Development Minister, Raghuvansh Prasad.
"If people work for their rights and that comes in the way of vested interests, then false cases can be registered. We have asked the state government for a report and we will take action," says Raghuvansh Prasad.
Coming on the heels of a Lok Adalat that failed, the arrest of Niyamat and one more person surely means bad news for the state government and its job guarantee scheme.
Latehar District Commissioner Sarvendu Tathagat is uncomfortable with the case.
"The case has nothing to do with NREGS. He has been arrested on complaints of the forest department and they should be answerable," says Tathagat.
The NREGS is becoming the latest battleground for the bitter control over resources.
Now those fighting to make villagers aware of their right to work, find no guarantees for their own right to freedom.
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