Bhagirath Choudhary defends ₹99 lakh farm subsidy from his own Ministry
Synopsis
A Union Minister received ₹99.03 lakh in government subsidy from a board he chairs — and sees nothing wrong with it. The 14-day in-principle approval and the minister's dual role as overseer and beneficiary have given the Opposition its sharpest accountability argument in weeks, arriving just as Cabinet reshuffle speculation heats up.
Key Takeaways
Union MoS for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary received a ₹99.03 lakh subsidy from the National Horticulture Board (NHB) , a body he chairs as ex-officio Vice-Chairman.
The grant was for a high-tech polyhouse project at his private farm in Peeh village, Didwana-Kuchaman district , with a total project cost of ₹1.99 crore .
In-principle approval reportedly came within 14 days of the April 2025 application; final approval followed in March 2026 .
Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot called it 'institutionalised corruption and conflict of interest,' demanding accountability from PM Modi .
Choudhary dismissed the allegations as 'politically motivated,' saying the subsidy was granted under standard rules available to all eligible farmers.
The controversy has intensified amid speculation over a possible Union Cabinet reshuffle .
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Ajmer MP Bhagirath Choudhary is facing a political firestorm after reports emerged that he received a government subsidy of ₹99.03 lakh for a commercial cucumber cultivation project under a scheme run by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) — an autonomous body that functions under the very Ministry he heads, where he also serves as ex-officio Vice-Chairman. The controversy, which surfaced on 28 June, has drawn sharp Opposition fire over what critics are calling a textbook conflict of interest.
The Subsidy and the Project
The grant was sanctioned under the NHB's Development of Commercial Horticulture scheme for a high-tech polyhouse project at Choudhary's private farm in Peeh village, Didwana-Kuchaman district, Rajasthan. According to reports, the total project cost stands at ₹1.99 crore. Of this, Choudhary invested ₹49.8 lakh from personal funds, while ₹1.49 crore was financed through an HDFC Bank loan. The ₹99.03 lakh subsidy was directly credited to that loan account after final approval in March 2026.
Notably, the project reportedly received in-principle approval within just 14 days of the application being submitted in April 2025. The minister's aides have pointed out that Choudhary first applied for the scheme in 2018, but that application was rejected due to incomplete technical documentation — a timeline they say demonstrates adherence to due process.
What the Minister Said
Speaking to reporters in Ajmer, Choudhary dismissed the allegations outright. 'What is wrong with it?' he asked, asserting that the benefit was sanctioned strictly under the rules and that he had not misused his official position. 'I am the son of a farmer and have been farming since childhood. Should I stop farming simply because I became an MP or a Union Minister?' he said.
Choudhary maintained that the NHB scheme is available to all eligible farmers across the country and that his farm project details — including the bank loan and subsidy amount — are publicly displayed on an information board at the farm. He added that Agriculture department officials have inspected the project on multiple occasions, and characterised the controversy as a 'politically motivated' campaign aimed at damaging his reputation.
Opposition Escalates Attack
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was unsparing in his criticism, calling it 'yet another disturbing example of institutionalised corruption and conflict of interest under the Narendra Modi government.' Gehlot questioned how a Union Minister of State for Agriculture could receive a subsidy of nearly ₹1 crore for his own farm under a scheme administered by his own Ministry.
'While ordinary farmers struggle through endless bureaucratic hurdles for even modest assistance, BJP Ministers and those in positions of influence appear to have privileged access to government benefits worth crores,' Gehlot said. He also invoked Prime Minister Modi's oft-cited pledge — 'Neither will I take a bribe, nor will I let anyone else take one' — and questioned why Modi had remained silent on the matter.
The broader Opposition argument is that even if the subsidy does not violate any statutory provision, the ethical dimension remains troubling: the beneficiary oversees the very agency that sanctioned his grant.
Political Context
The controversy has acquired added weight because it comes amid speculation over a possible Union Cabinet reshuffle. Critics argue that the timing raises questions about accountability at a moment when the government is under scrutiny on multiple fronts. This is not the first time a Minister's dual role as a scheme beneficiary and its administrative overseer has been questioned — similar conflicts of interest have surfaced in state governments across party lines in recent years.
With the Opposition demanding a formal inquiry and the minister standing firm, the episode is unlikely to fade quickly from the political discourse.
Point of View
And conflating the two is precisely what the Opposition is exploiting. A minister who serves as ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the sanctioning body receiving approval within 14 days of application is a governance optics failure regardless of procedural compliance. India's subsidy architecture routinely disadvantages small farmers who lack the documentation, connections, or financial capacity to navigate high-tech horticulture schemes; the contrast Gehlot draws is not rhetorical — it is structural. The real accountability question is not whether Choudhary broke a rule, but whether a rule that permits this outcome is fit for purpose.
NationPress
28 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the controversy surrounding Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary?
Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, received a ₹99.03 lakh government subsidy from the National Horticulture Board (NHB) for a polyhouse project on his private farm. The controversy centres on the fact that Choudhary serves as ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the NHB, the same body that sanctioned his subsidy, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
What is the NHB scheme under which the subsidy was granted?
The subsidy was sanctioned under the NHB's Development of Commercial Horticulture scheme, which supports high-tech farming projects such as polyhouses. The scheme is described by the Ministry as being available to all eligible farmers across the country.
How quickly was the subsidy approved?
According to reports, the project received in-principle approval within 14 days of the application being submitted in April 2025. Final approval came in March 2026, after which the ₹99.03 lakh was credited directly to Choudhary's HDFC Bank loan account.
What has the Opposition said about the subsidy?
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called it 'yet another disturbing example of institutionalised corruption and conflict of interest under the Narendra Modi government.' The Opposition argues that even if no statutory rule was broken, a minister receiving funds from a board he oversees raises serious questions of propriety and accountability.
How has Bhagirath Choudhary responded to the allegations?
Choudhary has denied any wrongdoing, saying the subsidy was granted strictly under the rules and that he did not misuse his official position. He stated that project details are publicly displayed at his farm, that officials have inspected it multiple times, and that a prior 2018 application was rejected — evidence, he says, that due process was followed. He dismissed the criticism as politically motivated.
