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Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Preparing for PM's Dahod visit': Minister Khabad explains absence from Cabinet meeting
Gujarat Minister of State Panchayat and Agriculture and MLA from Devgadh Baria in Dahod district, Bachubhai Khabad, who is facing the heat after the arrest of his two sons — Balvantsinh and Kiran — for their alleged involvement in a Rs 71 crore MGNREGA scam, earlier this week, clarified that he had skipped the weekly Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel as he was busy in making arrangements for the upcoming public meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dahod district. Khabad added that he had 'sent a report of absence' to the CM in this regard. In a video statement recorded at his office in Dhanpur, in Dahod, by his aides and circulated on social media platforms, Khabad Wednesday lashed out at 'critics for accusing him of being underground' due to the ongoing investigations against his sons. Khabad said, 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi is arriving in Dahod on May 26 and so I did not attend the Cabinet meeting (in Gandhinagar). I am here to hold meetings in Devgadh Baria, Dhanpur and Dahod to ensure numbers… and arrangements for the Prime Ministers' event'. 'I will be visiting the venue (of the public address)… I have even given my report of absence to the Chief Minister and I am a leader who is found among the people. I am a minister and I am not on the run. I am in my constituency today and working for the people… On what basis are people claiming that I am underground? I am very much in public. The investigation will keep happening but I am working for the people,' Khabad added. Stating that he was among those BJP leaders, who ensured leads of over one lakh votes for the party during the elections, Khabad mentioned the 'support of 1.5 lakh voters' and expressed confidence in the ongoing probe. He said, 'I am a leader, who is among the people. I get (for the party) leads of over a lakh (during elections). I have the backing of 1.5 lakh voters. My district is with me and has faith in me… It is after the judgment in the case that one can decide if (the sons) are guilty or not… We — both my sons and me — are cooperating with the investigation in every possible way. It is a judicial matter. It is a false case. The truth will be brought out in the investigation.'In the video, Khabad also defended his sons and claimed that they had 'done no wrong'. The minister remained unavailable for direct comments.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Rs 71 crore MGNREGA scam uncovered in Gujarat; minister's son arrested, another absconding
AHMEDABAD: A Rs 71-crore MGNREGA scam has rocked Gujarat's rural development system, with the arrested accused including Balwant Khabad, son of State Panchayat and Agriculture Minister Bachu Khabad. The scam, linked to massive irregularities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme, has surfaced in Dahod district's Dhanpur and Devgadh Baria talukas. Confirming the arrest, Dahod Dy SP Jagdish Bhandari told local media, 'Balwant Khabad and then Taluka Development Officer (TDO) Darshan Patel have been arrested in connection with the MGNREGA scam in Dhanpur and Devgadh Baria. Further investigation is underway.' Meanwhile, the minister's younger son, Kiran Khabad, is absconding. Police said further investigation into the multi-crore fraud is ongoing. At the centre of the scam is a well-organised network of fictitious infrastructure projects, roads, bunds, and other public works, that existed only on paper. Funds meant for tribal employment under MGNREGA were allegedly siphoned off through forged certificates and fake invoices, with the money reportedly diverted to agencies linked to the minister's sons. The scandal surfaced after B M Patel, Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), flagged major irregularities in project execution in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas. An audit that followed uncovered the fraud, tracing it to Raj Construction and Raj Traders, firms run by Balwant and Kiran Khabad, both of whom had sought anticipatory bail amid mounting evidence. Between 2021 and 2025, villages like Kuva, Redhana, and Simamoi were falsely marked as beneficiaries of completed MGNREGA projects. On the ground, there was little to no work, only forged completion reports and a trail of diverted payments. As the investigation widened, authorities uncovered that 35 material suppliers, 28 from Devgadh Baria and seven from Dhanpur, were involved in routing fake claims with the help of complicit local officials.
