A day after Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh remarked that MPs were not ready for social audit of the MPLAD scheme,JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari on Friday claimed the government had never proposed to conduct a social audit of the expenditure under the scheme and demanded a public apology from the minister. I am curious to know as to when the government proposed to conduct a social audit of expenditure under the MPLAD scheme. More than that,when did MPs reject this demand? MPs are not opposed to any audit of MPLAD scheme, Tiwari told The Indian Express over the phone from Jodhpur. Threatening to move a privilege motion against Ramesh,the JD(U) MP alleged he is in the habit of making such statements to project himself holier than other MPs. What message does he want to send by remarking that MPs are not ready for social audit of MPLAD expenditure? Ramesh should furnish details of the governments proposal to conduct social audit and the MPs rejection to substantiate his remarks. Otherwise,he should apologise for his remarks, Tiwari said. If he does not clarify his position,I may move a breach of privilege motion against him. On Thursday,Ramesh had faulted elected MPs,saying they were not ready to open their MPLAD scheme expenditure to social audit. Whenever there is criticism of MGNREGA in Parliament,I say if the same social audit was there for MPLADS then it would be good for the country. But they (MPs) are not ready for social audit of MPLADS, he had said at a function organised by civil society organisations in the capital. He had even sought to discount MPs complaints,suggesting that it was part of their desire to exercise control over the expenditure under the NREGS in their areas. MPs want that all the works are conducted with their consent. Their intention is different, he added. As Minister for Environment and Forests,Ramesh had written to the presiding officers of both the Houses on the conflict of interest issues arising out of lobbying by MPs on matters related to companies they were running or were associated with.
