Chhattisgarh Assembly monsoon session from Wednesday; BJP to bring no-trust motion

However, the Congress minister still holds health and family welfare, medical education, 20-point implementation and commercial tax GST portfolios.Singh Deo, in his resignation letter to the CM, had claimed not a single house was built for homeless people under the PMAY as funds were not allotted despite repeated request.In the four-page resignation letter, Singh Deo cited various reasons for relinquishing the portfolio, saying he was unable to fulfil the departments targets as per the vision of the partys Jan Ghoshna Patra poll manifesto given the current scenario.Chhattisgarh is due for Assembly elections in late 2023.

The opposition BJP will bring a no-confidence motion against the Congress government in Chhattisgarh and also raise multiple issues, including those related to farmers and tribals, corruption and the “deteriorating” law and order situation during the monsoon session of the Assembly beginning from Wednesday.

The monsoon session of the Assembly, which will have six sittings before concluding on July 27, is expected to be a stormy affair and comes at a time of power tussle in the ruling Congress.

The BJP said it will raise issues like poor implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) mentioned by state minister TS Singh Deo in his letter to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel while relinquishing the charge of the panchayat and rural development department, one of the five portfolios held by him in the cabinet.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Dharamlal Kaushik said on Tuesday the BJP is fully prepared to corner the state government during the session on several issues like unavailability of seeds and fertilizers, corruption and the ''deteriorating'' law and order situation in the state.

The saffron party will also bring a no-confidence motion against the Baghel government, Kaushik said.

State BJP spokesperson Nalinesh Thokne said the Baghel government, which claims itself to be pro-poor and pro-tribal, has abandoned these sections of the society by snatching houses entitled to them under the PMAY and changing draft of rules framed under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act.

“Minister Singh Deo's letter to the CM has proved that funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna were not allotted by the state government as a result of which houses could not be constructed for 8 lakh people. We have information that nearly 16 lakh houses were not built under the scheme,” Thokne claimed.

Similarly, the minister also stated in the letter that draft rules under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act prepared by his department in the interest of tribals and sent to the cabinet was changed without taking him into confidence, he added.

The PESA Act was enacted by Parliament in 1996 to ensure self-governance for people living in Scheduled Areas. States were required to formulate rules for effective implementation of the Act to strengthen gram sabhas (village assemblies) in Scheduled Areas.

Senior Congress MLA Kuldeep Juneja sought to downplay the BJP's move to bring a no-trust motion against the Baghel government and said the opposition party was just doing its job and was well aware of the ruling party's strength in the Assembly.

In the 90-member Assembly, the Congress has an overwhelming majority with 71 MLAs, followed by the BJP at 14, while the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the BSP have three and two legislators, respectively.

Chhattisgarh minister Singh Deo, locked in a turf war with Baghel, on July 16 gave up the charge of the panchayat and rural development department. However, the Congress minister still holds health and family welfare, medical education, 20-point implementation and commercial tax (GST) portfolios.

Singh Deo, in his resignation letter to the CM, had claimed not a single house was built for homeless people under the PMAY as funds were not allotted despite ''repeated request''.

In the four-page resignation letter, Singh Deo cited various reasons for relinquishing the portfolio, saying he was unable to fulfil the department's targets as per the vision of the party's 'Jan Ghoshna Patra' (poll manifesto) given the ''current scenario''.

Chhattisgarh is due for Assembly elections in late 2023.