TMC will hold dharna at block HQs, wards in Kolkata on Aug 6: Mamata
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said Trinamool Congress will be organising a sit-in protest in every block level in districts and in all wards in Kolkata on August 6 to protest against the Centre’s action of withholding funds for West Bengal which mainly includes the money for 100 days’ rural work scheme and PM Awas Yojana.
Addressing the press at Nabanna, the chief minister said that despite West Bengal grabbing the first position several times in the context of 100 days’ rural work scheme, the BJP-led Centre has withheld Rs 7,000 crore that it owes to Bengal under this scheme. “It is unconstitutional to withhold the fund since the rule is the money needs to be paid within 30 days of the work. This money is used to pay the wages of the poor labourers,” she remarked.
She added that in the 2023-24 Central budget, the Centre allotted funds for Bengal for 100 days’ work whereas funds were allotted to states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and even Odisha. “Why not Bengal? The West Bengal government has instead given 28-day jobs to job card holders of the MGNREGA scheme.”
The Chief Minister said the Centre has also deprived Bengal of the Awas Yojana fund despite the state government contributing 40 per cent to this corpus. “The remaining 60 per cent that the Centre is supposed to pay is also given from the share of GST that it owes to the state. Earlier, the state used to collect different taxes, including VAT, but with the implementation of GST, the Centre takes away the entire share and deprives the state of its dues,” she pointed out. “Lakhs of Dalits, tribals, OBCs, Namashudras and members of the minority community are not getting houses as a result of the Centre’s deprivation tactics. The Centre is doing vendetta politics,” she said.
Banerjee further added that even for the development of rural roads, which is generally done with the funds of the PMGSY scheme, the state is having to shell out money.
“We have already developed one lakh km of roads and another 11,000 are being built under the Rastasree-Pathasree scheme. The state BJP leaders are asking the Centre not to disburse the funds,” she alleged.
Mamata also said: “Instead of August 5, TMC will organise a dharna on August 6 at every block level from 12 pm to 4 pm. Dharnas will be conducted outside block headquarters. In Kolkata, rallies and political meetings will be conducted in every ward.”
