TMC to start dharna in New Delhi over MGNREGA funds for West Bengal: Abhishek

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Saturday said it will soon begin a sit-in demonstration in New Delhi if the Centre fails to provide funds for MGNREGA to the state at the earliest.

Addressing a rally at Mainaguri in Jalpaiguri, senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he will quit politics if a single irregularity is found in the list of MGNREGA beneficiaries submitted to the Centre.

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"Over 20 lakh people are sitting at home due to non-implementation of MGNREGA as the Centre is not providing funds. I went to the Union minister concerned in Delhi along with party MPs over the issue but he did not meet," he claimed.

Abhishek, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said TMC will launch an indefinite sit-in in Delhi over the issue, and "snatch the rights of the people".

Last month, the chief minister sat on a two-day dharna in Kolkata over the Mahatma Gandhiu National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREA) dues.

Banerjee claimed that the BJP is demanding a separate state of North Bengal to serve its "own narrow interests" and not for the development of the region.

"BJP believes in separatism and balkanisation of a region to serve its own narrow interests and not for development. However, neither the separate statehood agenda will be realised, nor any development initiatives will be undertaken. Only TMC can bring development to the region," he added.

Banerjee, the MP of Diamond Harbour, said that though the TMC lost half of the 80 panchayats in Jalpaiguri in the 2018 elections, the chief minister ensured the development of all areas without any discrimination.

"The government has ensured two metalled roads in each panchayat area. We don't believe in discrimination like the Modi government, which is depriving West Bengal of its dues," he said.

Criticising the BJP for the north Bengal shutdown over the Kaliaganj deaths on Friday, Banerjee said it was borrowing "such culture" from the CPI(M).

"People got to see the true face of BJP during yesterday's bandh as they tried to forcibly paralyse normal life. Bandh culture was the hallmark of CPI(M). BJP has borrowed it from them," he said.

Before the rally, which was part of his Trinamooley Nabajowar (new wave in Trinamool) programme, Banerjee offered puja at a local temple, and had lunch at the house of a villager in Domohani.

The BJP said that the people of the state were not believing in the statement of TMC leaders such as Banerjee after the massive corruption that was unearthed in the state in the last one year.

"People are realising that they are not getting the benefits of central schemes due to corruption by TMC leaders. They understand that with TMC at the saddle in the state, the poor will not get any benefits," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTI.