Gujarat Minister Defends his Sons in MGNREGA Scam

Dahod, Gujarat –  In a major blow to the Gujarat government’s stance on corruption, the sons of Panchayat Raj Minister Bachu Khabad are now at the center of a ₹71 crore scam involving the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Dahod district. After the arrest of his elder son Balwant Khabad last week, police on Monday arrested his younger son Kiran Khabad along with three others. All four were produced in court on Tuesday.

The court granted a four-day remand for Kiran Khabad and Taluka Development Officer (TDO) Rasik Rathwa, while Assistant Program Officer (APO) Dilip Chauhan was remanded for 10 days. The arrests bring the total number of accused in the scam to 11.

Reacting to the development, Minister Bachu Khabad defended his sons. “My sons are into material supply, not labor contracts. We sell goods in the open market as traders. Congress has been alleging for months, but we have full faith in the judiciary,” he said, accusing the opposition of politicizing the issue. “I’ve been in politics for 25 years and have never faced a single rupee corruption charge,” he added.

The scam, under investigation in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod, allegedly took place between 2021 and 2025. It involves fraudulent payments made under the MGNREGA scheme, including ₹16 crore for over 300 check dams that were never constructed. The investigation has exposed a range of irregularities—from fake job card entries and inflated worker counts to substandard work and ghost projects.

Agencies operated by the minister’s sons, including Raj Construction and Raj Traders, are said to have played a key role in the fraud. A total of 35 agencies have been named in the complaint filed by District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Director B.M. Patel, though names of their proprietors remain undisclosed.

Kiran Khabad was arrested in a dramatic police operation early Monday morning on the Vadodara-Kalol highway. Along with him, agency owner Parth Baria, APO Dilip Chauhan, and Dy.DDO R.N. Rathwa were also arrested. The police are now hunting for additional suspects and believe over 40 people could be involved.

Sources say the scam could grow larger as investigators trace forged documentation and financial flows. While the state government has claimed to be cracking down on corruption, the involvement of a senior minister’s family has sparked political tension and public outrage.

The case now stands as a litmus test for the state’s “zero tolerance” policy on corruption, with pressure mounting on authorities to ensure a thorough and impartial probe.