Mamata Banerjee To Stage Sit-In Protest Over Pending Central Funds (image@AITCofficial)
Mamata Banerjee, the West Bank Chief Minister will stage a dharna on 2nd and 3rd of February. The move is to protest against the alleged withholding of the state’s dues by the central government. The dharna will start at 1:00 pm at Red Road area, said a senior Trinamool Congress leader.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
.@BJP4India-led center”s continuous oppression of Bengal”s workers has led Hon”ble @MamataOfficial to announce dharna protests on February 2nd and 3rd to fight for MGNREGA”s due funds!
Join us as we stand united to demand JUSTICE! pic.twitter.com/i1HNayqfnT
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) February 1, 2024
“Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee will lead the agitation. Other senior leaders of the party will also be present,” said the TMC leader, as quoted by NDTV. The issue of Central government withholding the dues, especially under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has snowballed into a political controversy in West Bengal.
The gravity of the situation was highlighted with the demonstration by TMC national general secretary, Abishek Banerjee along with a group of party legislators, MPs, ministers and MGNREGA workers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which was followed by a five-day sit-in outside Raj Bhavan.
The Mahata Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, aims at enhancing the livelihood and security of the households in rural areas by providing minimum of 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year.
Mamata Banerjee’s dharna will mark the third major agitation over the issue ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Sources told media that the demonstration may extend to 48 hours, by strategically coinciding with the commencement of the West Bengal budget session on February 5.
The latest turn of events comes in line of similar two-day sit-in led by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself in March of the preceding year, as well as Abhishek Banerjee’s agitation in New Delhi and subsequent dharna outside the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.
