The focus is on Union Minister Bhagirath Chaudhary on his reception $99.6 lakh in support from his own ministry. On Saturday, he asked for clarification and said that he was not hiding anything and that he was receiving government aid like thousands of other farmers.
Chaudhary, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, is in the midst of a row following a report in Indian Express He revealed that he had received $99,60,000 as support through a scheme under his own ministry.
Also read: Ram Mandir Foundation confirms Champat Rai’s resignation, says donated silver bricks and ornaments are safe
Interestingly, the report claimed that the subsidy amount to encourage commercial agriculture was approved by a council in which Chaudhry holds the position of ex-officio Vice President.
Elaborating on the farm subsidy, Bhagirath Chaudhary has been farming since his childhood and applied for the subsidy in 2018. Chaudhary, a Lok Sabha MP from Ajmer constituency, was sworn into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet in June 2024.
“I am a farmer and have been in agriculture since my childhood days. I have not hidden anything. Thousands of farmers have installed poly houses and availed subsidies, and that’s what I did too. I applied in 2018. I installed a board there and mentioned all the loans and subsidies I got,” Chaudhary said.
Also read: Mohan Yadav at center of Ujjain land ‘scam’; BJP bombshell on Kharge family’s trust: What’s happening?
“I’m also training farmers there on new techniques and natural farming. All the local officials have visited the site. So what did I hide?” He added.
The opposition attacks a minister over a “conflict of interest”
The Congress attacked the minister as a “conflict of interest” and accused the BJP of hypocrisy regarding corruption.
Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that Chaudhary was “the applicant, the sanctioning authority, and the beneficiary – all in one.” Calling this a conflict of interest would be an understatement, he said.
Describing the move as “blatant plunder”, the minister said, “It is worrying because the poor are expected to be grateful for five kilograms of free rations and a modest midday meal for their children, as if these favor the government and not the rights of the citizen. Meanwhile, the ministers and their kith and kin have the state treasury at their disposal – mustering support, drawing interest, and treating public funds as their father’s property.”
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also attacked the BJP, calling it a “new model of corruption” and conflict of interest in the NDA government.
Also Read: Three suspects arrested in Maharashtra TET 2026 question paper sale case
“Another prime example of a new paradigm of corruption and ‘conflict of interest’ has been exposed under the Modi government, including allegations against a Union minister and an IAS officer working in the central government,” Gehlot said.
A portion of the minister and the mother, wife and son of a senior IAS officer were also among the beneficiaries of the scheme under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Indian Express report said.
The report said that 1994 batch Rajasthan IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar, a secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and his family members received a total of over $1.16 lakh crore subsidies over five years under this scheme.
