Gujarat Minister Bachu Khabad absent from Cabinet after sons’ arrest in MGNREGA scam

The political future of Gujarat Minister Bachu Khabad appears increasingly uncertain following the arrest of his two sons in a major MGNREGA scam. 

Khabad’s sons were granted bail initially, but the police swiftly moved the upper court to cancel those orders.

Since the arrests, Khabad has reportedly been absent from political and administrative functions. He was missing from Wednesday's cabinet meeting and has not been seen in his Secretariat chamber for over two weeks. Sources claim he has been informally instructed not to attend the Secretariat or public events, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Gujarat.

The once-active chamber of Minister Khabad in Swarnim Sankul-2 now reportedly sits empty, with no staff present apart from an attendant. Visitors have stopped arriving, and even his official duties appear to be on pause effectively reducing him to a minister without a portfolio.

What’s the scam?

The alleged scam took place in three villages, Kuva and Redhana in Devgadh Baria taluka, and Simamoi in Dhanpur taluka. Projects like mud and metal roads, concrete (CC) roads, check dams, and stone bunds were either not completed or were only done superficially to show progress.

Despite incomplete or fake work, completion certificates were forged, and payments were made to agencies not even involved in the tender process. In several cases, contracted agencies were bypassed, and the funds were instead disbursed to ineligible third-party agencies, many of whom never even bid for the tenders.

The scam involves 35 agencies, including one owned by Balvant Khabad, the son of the current state minister Bachubhai Khabad. Police have registered cases against all 35, covering 28 agencies from Devgadh Baria and 7 from Dhanpur. The scam has rocked the entire district.