TNI Bureau: The members of Self-help Groups (SHGs) in Odisha are being used for the work of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), alleged the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, State Vice President Lekhashree Samantsinghar alleged that apart from using the SHG women for party work, the BJD led Odisha government is trying to copy-paste the Central schemes and funds and claiming its own.

The central government is providing financial assistance to the women under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana with the aim to make them self-employed. However, the state government has been stealing the projects, Samantsinghar alleged.

The members of SHG are being forcibly involved in all kinds of party activities by making various false promises to join political parties. The Self-help groups are being abused as “Women’s forces of BJD,” the BJP leader claimed.

She further alleged that the master book keepers (MBK), Community Resource Persons (CRPs), Block Project Manager, District Project Manager are being put in the work of collecting votes and despite so much grant from the central government, the state government has never thanked or appreciated it, rather calling the central projects as its own projects.