Congress VP Hira Jotva arrested in Rs 7.3 crore MGNREGA scam in Bharuch; party says ‘vindictive move by BJP'
An alleged 'outsourced' technical staff person, Ramesh Tailor, was also arrested on Thursday.
Bharuch district police said that evidence shows Jotva allegedly being a 'partner' in both firms and 'having directly used the siphoned funds' from the MGNREGA scheme.
District Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda told The Indian Express, 'We have evidence that shows that Jotva was a sleeping partner in both the agencies that were contracted in Bharuch and had a direct involvement in the irregularity being investigated. We are also probing the money trail as there is evidence that Jotva has used the money that was siphoned off… He was brought to Bharuch and arrested late on Thursday night.'
The FIR was lodged by Assistant MGNREGA account officer P U Chaudhary of the Bharuch District Rural Development Authority against Veraval-based Jalaram Enterprises (owned by Piyush Nukani) and Murlidhar Enterprises (owned by Jodha Sabhad).
It states, 'The irregularity relates to MGNREGA projects in Amod, Jambusar, and Hansot talukas of the district… As per the complaint received from an infrastructure company, the two agencies contracted to supply material had passed bills in violation of tender conditions…'
The arrests of Jotva and Tailor are the first in the case as agency owners Nukani and Sabhad are 'on the run', police said.
Chavda said that the two agencies, as per the procedure under MGNREGA, had appointed an outsourced technical assistant, Ramesh Tailor, who was stationed at the office of the Taluka Development Officer (TDO) of Hansot taluka. He allegedly 'created forged documents at Jotva's behest'.
Chavda said, 'Tailor created the documents used for the misappropriation, including forged bills… The MGNREGA provisions mandatorily require the expenses to be in the ratio of 60:40 in favour of labour and raw material. However, in this case, the accused showed material cost up to 80% of the total amount, which disturbs the ratio and indicates a scam.'
Chavda added that apart from inflated bills, the agencies allegedly also showed completed works which 'did not exist on the ground' to embezzle funds. Both Chavda and Tailor will be produced in court on Friday evening.
Reacting to Jotva's arrest, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee Spokesperson Manish Doshi told The Indian Express that Jotva has been 'victimised' as he 'did not succumb to the pressure of quitting the Congress'.
'The story being weaved against Hirabhai Jotva that just because two agency owners are known to him, he is involved in the scam, exposes the two-faced approach of the BJP… The state government, on the one hand, has not even initiated an action against its Cabinet Minister Bachubhai Khabad even after both his sons have been arrested in multiple FIRs for alleged MGNREGA scams but here, Jotva is arrested just for being acquainted with the agencies,' he said.
'Jotva has documents to fight his case. He is a powerful leader of the Ahir community in his region… There has been a lot of pressure on him to quit the Congress since a while now but he has not succumbed. This arrest is a result of the vindictive nature of BJP, which wanted him to toe their line. We have full faith in the judiciary and we will fight a legal battle,' Doshi said.
Senior BJP leaders refused to comment on the Congress' stand in the issue. Jotva, who is among the nine Vice Presidents of Gujarat Congress, had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 from Junagadh and also the Keshod Assembly constituency in the Gujarat Assembly polls of 2022.
The FIR states that following a detailed investigation into the complaint, it was found that in works of building roads in villages of Jambusar, Amod and Hansot talukas, 'inflated bills of material supply' were allegedly presented while only a small amount of material was allegedly used. 'The bills put forth from Jambusar were for 128.40 cubic metres of material, while the actual material used was 28.32 cubic metres against the stipulated use of 103 cubic metres…' the FIR states. Similar discrepancies were also 'discovered' in a total of 56 villages.
The Bharuch district FIR had come just a week after the Dahod district police had re-arrested two sons of Gujarat Minister of State for Panchayat and Agriculture Bachubhai Khabad in one common and two separate FIRs lodged in Dahod B-Division police station to probe another alleged MGNREGA-related scam of over Rs 100 crore.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Land deal cancellation was illegally revoked by ex-Haryana CM Hooda: ED to Court
Haryana's former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda 'illegally' revoked the cancellation of a land deal in Shikohpur, Gurugram, which was carried out in 2008 in favour of Robert Vadra, alleged the Enforcement Directorate before a Delhi court on Thursday. 'The mutation was cancelled by the then Director General of Land Consolidation and Land records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration of Haryana (IAS Ashok Khemka)… the cancellation was revoked illegally by Haryana's CM,' said ED's Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain before the court of Special Judge Sushant Changotra. The deal being mentioned here was the purchase of 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore in 2008 and selling the land to DLF four years later for Rs 58 crore by a company named Skylight Hospitality, whose director was Vadra. 'There were irregularities such as false declarations. This company had no capacity to pay. It had only Rs 1 lakh in its capital… the actual payment was made later leading to evasion of stamp duty,' Hossain, who was accompanied by ED's Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta, argued. The ED was arguing on its chargesheet, which was filed last Thursday against Vadra and 10 others (eight companies and two persons). The chargesheet was filed a day after the agency attached 43 immovable properties linked to Vadra, Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd and others. 'The seller never encashed the cheque. The buyer didn't have the capacity to buy. The government was cheated of revenues and stamp duties worth `45 lakh were evaded,' Hossain said. 'The real transaction was 15 crores, not 7.5 crores… all the proceeds of crime flowed to companies owned by Vadra,' he added. According to sources, the ED's chargesheet alleged that the sale deed 'falsely' stated that the payment was received via cheque, which was actually never encashed. The chargesheet also states, as per sources, that the stamp duty worth `45 lakh was evaded via misdeclaration. The ED has quantified the total proceeds of crime to be worth Rs 58 crore tentatively. The chargesheet claims that there was pressure on Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) officials from higher authorities to accelerate the process, say sources. 'All pvt. ltd. companies were converted into LLPs (limited liability partnerships) …as the former have more disclosure requirements,' Hossain argued before the Court. The matter will now be heard on July 31 and the ED will outline the individual roles of all the accused persons in the case. After the ED has concluded its arguments, the Judge is likely to decide whether to take cognizance of the chargesheet or not.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gang attacks petrol pump staff, loots cash on Delhi-Ajmer highway
1 2 Jaipur: A gang of unidentified men armed with sticks and iron rods stormed a petrol pump on the Delhi-Ajmer highway in Chandwaji under Jaipur (Rural) early Thursday morning, assaulting employees and fleeing with cash and goods. The incident, which left a security guard injured, occurred at a filling station in Beelpur village and is believed to be a follow-up act by the same men who previously fled without paying for Rs 2,000 of fuel nearly three weeks ago. According to Chandwaji SHO Hiralal Saini, the incident took place around 1.30am when three individuals in a car arrived at the pump and asked for diesel. However, the pump staff recognised them as the same men who earlier fuelled up and fled without paying. A brief argument broke out between the staff and the suspects, who then sped away. "The staff recognised the persons who fled without paying the money," said an official. Roughly an hour later, around 2.45am, the men returned—this time with reinforcements. Four to five individuals stepped out of the car and began a violent attack on the employees. Security guard tried to fend them off with a stick, but he was quickly overpowered and beaten with rods. The assailants chased down other employees, looted cash and goods, and then fled the scene in the same car. The brutal assault was captured on the petrol pump's CCTV cameras. Police said the footage has provided key leads for identifying the attackers. "We are scanning the CCTV visuals and have launched raids to track down the accused," said SHO Saini. The injured guard, Babulal, is undergoing treatment. His condition is said to be stable. An FIR has been registered based on a complaint filed by pump employee . Police suspect the assault was premeditated retaliation after the suspects were identified during their earlier attempt to evade payment. Investigators are also examining whether the group is linked to any previous attacks or robberies along the highway.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Karnataka smart meter case: Court orders registration of complaint against minister George, officials
Bengaluru: The simmering controversy over the tendering process of smart meters in Karnataka took an interesting turn with the special court for elected representatives on Wednesday directing enforcement agencies to register a private complaint report (PCR) against energy minister KJ George and others. Based on a complaint filed by BJP functionaries CN Ashwath Narayan, SR Vishwanath, and Dheeraj Muniraj, special court judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat directed officials to submit a status report on the complaint filed with the Lokayukta in April 2025 pertaining to the same issue, besides registering a PCR. The complaint also named additional chief secretary (energy) Gaurav Gupta, previous Bescom MD Mahantesh Bilagi, and Bescom technical director SG Ramesh as accused in the case. The complainants alleged that all the accused did not comply with the tender rules while rolling out the smart meter tender. "A tender was floated in Sept 2024 to provide smart meter services, and it was allotted to one of the bidders, a Davanagere-based shell company. Rather than floating separate tenders for each of the Escoms (electricity supply companies), tenders were floated only for Bescom. The entire process not only violated provisions under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, but also went against the guidelines laid down by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission," the complaint read. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing Older Women should Avoid Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Seeking the special court's intervention, the complainants sought registration of an FIR under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhit and the Prevention of Corruption Act. BJP legislators have been hitting out at the state govt and accusing George, who also holds the position of Bescom chairman, of misappropriation in the smart meter tender ever since the issue snowballed into a major controversy during the budget session of legislature. Nothing illegal: George Reacting sharply to the development, the minister retorted: "Is there a court order? If so, give a copy to me and I will react to that." Hitting out at the BJP, he added: "There is a group comprising Ashwath Narayan and others. They have already filed a petition in the high court and have also complained to the governor. Now, a case has also been filed in the people's representatives court. There is nothing illegal and the tender process has been done according to the law. I'm ready to explain everything if needed. Rather than indulging in hit-and-run methods, let them produce documents to the court and our advocates will also argue. Eventually, I will bow to whatever the court orders." BJP demands George's ouster BJP legislator CN Ashwath Narayan on Thursday demanded the dismissal of energy minister KJ George. "There is no malice — this is in public interest," he said, alleging that contracts were given to blacklisted firms, regulations were flouted, and inflated rates were imposed. Narayan questioned whether George would resign, before urging chief minister Siddaramaiah to act immediately to uphold justice and govt accountability
