In a sharp escalation of the political tussle over housing schemes in the state, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Deepak Baij has thrown down a direct challenge to the ruling BJP government. He has demanded the immediate release of a detailed white paper on the construction of houses under the central Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), alleging widespread misrepresentation of data.
Allegations of Inflated Numbers and Public Deception
The controversy erupted after state BJP president Kiran Dev recently claimed that a staggering 24 lakh houses have been sanctioned in Chhattisgarh since 2016. Out of these, Dev asserted that 16.72 lakh houses were completed under the current BJP administration. Speaking to reporters in the capital city of Raipur on Friday, Deepak Baij launched a fierce counterattack on these statistics.
Baij accused the BJP leadership of deliberately misleading the people of Chhattisgarh. He stated that the BJP government has not sanctioned any new PMAY houses in the last two years since coming to power. "The BJP government only released second instalments for houses approved during the Congress regime and inaugurated those that had been completed earlier," Baij claimed, dismissing the BJP's achievements as merely completing projects initiated by the previous Congress government.
The Core Demand: A Year-Wise White Paper
The central thrust of the Congress leader's challenge is a call for complete transparency. Baij alleged that the BJP is intentionally avoiding disclosing the precise, year-wise number of houses sanctioned up to the year 2023. He challenged the government's courage and commitment to truth.
"If the government has the courage, it should release a white paper detailing the year-wise count of houses actually built under PMAY," Baij declared. This demand for a white paper is seen as a political move to force the government to provide auditable, granular data that can be scrutinized, moving beyond broad, aggregate figures.
Political Repercussions and the Road Ahead
This confrontation places the spotlight squarely on the implementation of one of the central government's flagship welfare schemes in Chhattisgarh. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is a critical issue for voters, especially in rural areas, and claims about its success or failure can have significant electoral consequences.
By demanding a white paper, the Congress party aims to put the BJP government on the defensive and question its governance narrative. The state government's response to this challenge will be closely watched. If it accepts and releases detailed data, it risks having its figures contested. If it refuses, it may face accusations of lacking transparency and hiding poor performance.
The political battle in Raipur has now been firmly joined on the grounds of housing statistics, with Deepak Baij's challenge setting the stage for a heated debate over development claims and accountability in Chhattisgarh.
