Three days after Trinamool Congress MPs held talks with officials of the Ministry of Rural Development over the release of funds under MGNREGA to West Bengal, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday said that he will take the protest to Delhi and will choke the national capital. Mr. Banerjee said that one crore letters from the people of West Bengal will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of funds.
“If BJP does not release the funds, we will take out agitations, no matter what we have to do. Be it strikes or andolans, we will do everything to get the money that the people of West Bengal deserve. If needed, we will take the fight to Delhi, I give you my assurance,” Mr. Banerjee said, addressing a public gathering in Alipurduar district.
The Trinamool leader added that one 1.38 crore families in West Bengal have registered for 100 days’ work. “These families haven’t been given justice. We have to reach out to these people. Let us initiate our outreach drive to get the letters signed on April 15. This programme will run across the State,” Mr. Banerjee said, referring to the collection of letters.
The Trinamool leader also targeted Minister of Rural Development Giriraj Singh and said that the Minister did not give them an appointment, even though he was in Delhi. “That is because Giriraj Singh didn’t have the guts to meet us,” he added.
Trinamool Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a dharna in Kolkata on March 29 and 30 seeking release from central funds. She also vowed to take the fight to Delhi if funds were not released.
Funds under MGNREGA have not been released to the State since December 2021 after the Centre invoked Article 27 of the NREGA Act, which allows for the stoppage of funds for violation of rules in the implementation of the scheme by the State. The Centre has also withheld funds for West Bengal for the financial year 2023-24.
Reacting to the Trinamool Congress leader’s remark, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari hit back accusing the ruling party of corruption in the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme. Mr. Adhikari said that about one crore fake MGNREGA jobs have been operational in the State. The Leader of the Opposition said similar irregularities exist in the mid-day meal scheme and construction of toilets in the State. Mr. Adhikari and several other BJP leaders have advocated the freezing of funds to key welfare schemes in West Bengal.
