Taking a sharp jab at his political rivals, Khabad said, “Congress has nothing to talk about except falsehoods. They raise the same stale allegations again and again. They raised it in the assembly, the government answered. They went to the High Court in 2018, the case was dismissed.”Calling the accusations politically motivated, he declared, “I have served as minister thrice. I’ve worked in public life for 25 years. And I say this with conviction, if Congress proves even a single rupee of corruption during my three years as Panchayat Minister, I will quit politics.”“We are building Dahod, not looting it. Congress just talks. We deliver,” he added.The police investigation into the Rs 71 crore MNREGA scam in Devgadh Baria taluka of Dahod district has intensified, with the arrest tally now reaching 11. The crackdown began on 17 May with the arrest of Minister Bachu Khabad’s elder son, Balwant Khabar, and then-TDO Darshan Patel.Building on the probe, four more arrests were made on Monday, including Khabad’s younger son, Kiran Khabar, agency owner Parth Baria, Devgadh Baria’s APO Dilip Chauhan, and R.N. Rathwa, then TDO of Dhanpur and now posted as Deputy District Development Officer. The widening net signals a deep-rooted nexus, as investigators continue to unravel the massive embezzlement under the rural employment scheme.
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