Bengal fund blockade: Mamata leads dharna at Ambedkar statue

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday led the sit-in demonstration by her party at the foot of the Ambedkar statue inside the campus of the state Assembly demanding the due wages of 100 days workers of Bengal from the Centre.

TMC legislators who joined the protest sported black attire as they observed ‘black day’ as a mark of protest against BJP leader Amit Shah’s rally in Kolkata.

Earlier, during the discussion on ‘The Bengal Legislative Assembly (Members Emoluments) (Amendment ) Bill 2023’, Banerjee said that all her party MLAs have donated Rupees one lakh to pay the dues of the 3000-odd MGNREGA beneficiaries who had gone to Delhi with party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to voice their protest against the Centre and to demand their due wages.

Mamata’s statement assumed significance with the Opposition questioning the source of funds for paying wages of the 3000 MGNREGA workers. According to her, there are 21 lakh workers in the state who were denied wages by the Centre after completing work under the 100-day work scheme.

Recently, TMC had announced that Abhishek wrote a letter to these 3000 MGNREGA job card holders from Bengal, extending financial aid to them from his end.

“I had promised that I would try to stand beside them by paying their dues if the Centre did not clear it. As I promised, I sent the letter and provided financial assistance...” read the letter from Abhishek.