Lawmaker Missing, Say Posters In Village 'Adopted' Then 'Abandoned'

Pipra Maaf, Uttar Pradesh: Two years after their hamlet was adopted by the local lawmaker to be transformed into a 'model village' under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Aadarsh Gram Yojna' launched with much fanfare in 2014, electricity, roads and toilets are still a distant dream for many, say residents of Pipra Maaf.

Set in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district, about 260 km from Lucknow, the village was adopted by BJP lawmaker Pushpendra Singh Chandel who, the villagers say, has not shown up in the last two years. Signs of development have been equally elusive and they feel "abandoned".
 In the Pathari neighbourhood, where one third of the village lives, there are no pucca roads or electricity. Two wells provide all the water that the around 1,000 people who live in 80 houses need. Incomplete toilets and pits line the village and open defecation continues to be the norm here.

"We face problems as there are no toilets here. After the MP adopted the village, we felt he will develop the village but he did nothing. As there is no electricity children have difficulty in studying," said a resident Akansha Richaria.
 Frustrated by the absence of their lawmaker who adopted the village in November 2014, villagers have put up posters saying that the MP is missing.

The sarpanch or headman of Pipramaaf, Ghasita Anuragi, said, "18 months ago, the lawmaker adopted our village and just visited once. He has got no work done here. Local officials now say get your work done by the BJP MP. We are stuck in the crossfire between BJP and Samajwadi Party (which rules Uttar Pradesh)."
 Mr Chandel's office however counters the claim. "Though villagers allege the MP has not visited the village but the truth is he has and we have government records to prove it," Badshah Singh, a representative of the lawmaker said.

When asked about the development of the village, he said, "Our main work is to convert villagers to have a nationalist view. We have to provide basic amenities as well but also spread awareness."