Former Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Ashwani Sharma on Thursday, 1 October 2026, demanded a high-level, impartial investigation into alleged bribery in the allotment of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Mamdot, Ferozepur district. Sharma alleged that the scheme — designed to provide housing to the economically weakest sections — had been subverted by corrupt officials and influential beneficiaries, depriving hundreds of genuinely needy families of their entitlements.

The Alleged Irregularities

According to Sharma, out of a list of 400 needy families in Mamdot, only 33 houses were approved. Of those, just two were reportedly allotted to legitimate beneficiaries. The remaining 31 houses, he alleged, were handed to influential individuals who own between 50 and 200 acres of agricultural land — making them categorically ineligible under the scheme's poverty-targeting criteria.

Sharma described the alleged irregularities as 'a serious injustice to people experiencing poverty' and said the conduct of officials involved was 'extremely unfortunate and shameful.' He further alleged that such practices directly undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of welfare for the most vulnerable sections of society.

BJP's Key Demands

Sharma outlined a set of specific demands from the Punjab state government. He called for a thorough scrutiny of the eligibility of all 33 beneficiaries who were allotted houses. He also demanded that employees found to have accepted bribes be held accountable if the charges are established, and that no such officials be spared.

Crucially, he demanded fresh verification of the 367 low-income families whose applications were rejected, arguing that many of them may have been passed over improperly to make room for ineligible, well-connected applicants. The BJP, he stated, 'would not tolerate corruption' in the PMAY and would 'continue to fight for justice' for those denied their rightful benefits.

Vijay Sampla Highlights Dalit Village Coverage

Separately, senior party leader and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla thanked PM Modi for bringing 484 Dalit-majority villages in Punjab under the PM Awas Yojana. He noted that more than 40 per cent of the population in these villages belongs to the Dalit community, and that the Central government will provide grants of up to ₹20 lakh each for development work in these villages.

Sampla stressed that the scheme's benefits extend beyond physical infrastructure, covering drinking water, sanitation, education, health and nutrition, social security, electricity, clean fuel, agriculture, financial inclusion, digital facilities, and employment and skill development.

Broader Context

The PMAY controversy in Mamdot is not an isolated flashpoint. Allegations of leakage in welfare-scheme allocations — where influential local intermediaries capture benefits meant for the rural poor — have surfaced across multiple states. In Punjab, the AAP-led state government and the BJP have been at sustained political odds, and demands for probes into Central scheme implementation often carry a cross-partisan edge. This comes amid the BJP's broader push to reclaim its political standing in the state following its 2022 assembly election losses.

Whether the state government acts on Sharma's demands or dismisses them as political theatre will be closely watched, particularly given that 484 Dalit-majority villages are now in focus under the very scheme at the centre of the controversy.