TMC tells booth-level workers to visit every household to inform ‘Centre blocked funds’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) has instructed all its booth-level workers to reach out to every household in their respective areas within the next month and inform people that it is the BJP-led Central government that is allegedly responsible for the deplorable road conditions in rural areas, non-payment of wages under 100 days work scheme and for depriving people of houses under the Awas Yojana.

During the ongoing Trinamool-e Nabajowar campaign, the party has been receiving complaints from the people in rural areas ahead of the Panchayat elections that roads in their areas need repair work.

Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the party, who is interacting with the people as part of the campaign, has been listening to the grievances of the people. Presently, he is campaigning in Burdwan.

Holding a meeting with the booth-level workers, he said that it is perhaps a shortcoming of the party that people are still oblivious to why some of the rural development works have been affected. He said that the booth-level workers are not putting adequate effort into informing the people of the actual reasons for some rural works coming to a halt.

He said: “I am surprised that so many people in the rural areas are still oblivious of why certain rural roads are in a deplorable condition, or as to why 100 days rural workers have not

got their wages. They need to be explained how the central government is withholding funds to deliberately deprive the people of Bengal. This is revenge for losing in the 2021 Assembly elections.”

Addressing the booth workers, he said: “People need to be informed that in schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the state gives 40 per cent of funds while the Centre is supposed to give 60 per cent. The state can disburse its share easily at any point in time but it is the Centre’s share which remains stuck. The Centre has been sitting on the funds that it owes to West Bengal.”

He said that people need to be told that the TMC is and will continue to fight for their rights and will soon start mass agitation in Delhi where people from Bengal’s rural areas are free to join to demand their rights.

Banerjee ordered that within the next month, all booth workers need to visit every household in their areas and explain these to the people. “You need to tell that it is the blocked fund which has led to non-payment of wages for 100 days of rural work, non-allotment of houses under Awas Yojana and deplorable road conditions in rural areas,” he said.