Political parties use rural health mission scam stick to beat Mayawati government

It’s election time in Uttar Pradesh and the state is at the centre of a massive corruption scam involving the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) funds. The scam has given an opportunity to opposition parties to blame the Bahujan Samaj Party government in the state and gain political mileage out of it.

Road to disaster

Acheja, a small farming village in Gautam Budh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, had never seen such a large congregation as it did on May 12. The venue was a rice mill. Its verandah was crammed with farmers in white kurta pyjamas and Gandhi caps. They were discussing the recent violence in the area in high-pitched voices. Once in a while, the crowd shouted: “Jab tak dukhi kisan rahega, dharti par toofan rahega (As long as farmers are unhappy, the earth will be in turmoil).”