The impact of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) flat allotment scam, is being felt in far flung villages in Rajasthan's Jhunjunu district, where close to 200 Meenas had unwittingly signed applications for flats in New Delhi. In Jhunjunu, it was none other than the former district Meena community president and suspended bank employee, Laxmi Narayan Meena, who scoured for volunteers to apply for the flats, even as most residents here neither know they have been allotted a flat nor have they paid the mandatory registration fee.

On Thursday, there was a flurry of activity in Jhunjunu as Laxmi Narayan Meena, the local middleman, raced across the district requesting his community’s “volunteers” to support him, closely followed by a team of the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing.

One finally caught up with Meena in the office of a vernacular newspaper, where he was distributing press releases in an attempt to absolve himself of all knowledge and criminal intent.

Meanwhile, members of the Meena community who had filled the DDA application forms maintained that Laxmi Narayan had told them of the DDA scheme.

“Meenaji came to me in August and told me of the lottery. He told me I would not have to pay a single rupee and that I only had to sign on application forms and give him identity proof and that of my ST status,” said an unemployed Rameshwar Meena, who has been allotted a flat.

Laxmi Narayan took a photocopy of his ration card, caste certificate and voter identity card. Rameshwar hails from Togda Kalan village, from where eight Meenas had applied and four have been allotted flats.

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