Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 30 SEP: Around 250 Trinamul Congress leaders and job card holders in Nadia district are likely to attend the party’s protest rally scheduled to hold on 2 and 3 October in New Delhi against the Center’s pause on the release of funds including due MGNREGA wages, and fresh funds under the 100-day job scheme.
More than 150 job card holders from both the party’s North and South organizational districts in Nadia have reached Kolkata at Netaji Indoor Stadium and sources said they have already boarded Volvo buses to reach Delhi.
The protest rally, scheduled at a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is recovering from knee injuries, is led by Abhishek Banerjee, TMC’s national general secretary. The demonstration aims to press for the release of funds amounting to over Rs 1.15 lakh crore, including Rs 7,000 crore under the 100-day employment guarantee scheme, which the state claims is due to West Bengal.
Initially planning to bring more than 50,000 participants to Delhi, TMC had to scale down its program after the Delhi police denied permission to hold the demonstration in Ram Leela Maidan. Despite this setback, the party has mobilized a significant number of supporters, focusing particularly on women job card holders who played a crucial role in TMC’s victory in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Many job card holders, like Arif Sheikh from Nakashipara, are joining the protest to voice their grievances against the non-payment of their dues. The central government has halted funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) since November 2021, citing misappropriation of funds. The state claims that a due amount of Rs 6,500 crore, including wages worth Rs 3,000 crore, remains unpaid.
Trinamul Congress leaders, including MLAs, MPs, ministers, and zilla-parishad and panchayat samity functionaries, are also en route to Delhi. Ujjal Biswas, a TMC minister, stated, “I and some MLAs and zilla-parishad portfolios will start the journey tomorrow from DumDum airport to attend the protest rally.”
The TMC’s protest event is aimed at bringing attention to the plight of job card holders and to demand swift action from the central government regarding the pending funds. As the demonstration unfolds, TMC leaders and supporters are determined to make their voices heard, pressing for financial justice for the state of West Bengal.
Tags: #TMC #jobcardholders #Nadia #Delhi #Centre #MGNREA