Political parties compete to take credit for resumption of MGNREGS in West Bengal
The Hindu
Calcutta High Court orders resumption of MGNREGS in West Bengal, sparking political credit claims and promises for workers.
A day after the Calcutta High Court directed the resumption of MGNREGS in West Bengal, political parties in the State tried to take credit for the return of the 100-days-work scheme after a three-year hiatus.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee on Wednesday (June 18) directed the Union government to resume the Centrally funded scheme from August 1.
Welcoming the High Court order, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee noted that her government had already started a scheme called “Karmashree” to provide 50 days work to people in the State.
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the stoppage of the scheme in the State was “revenge and retribution” after the BJP failed to defeat his party in the 2021 Assembly polls. “We welcome it. We made a promise to the people of Bengal — that we would fight for their rights with every ounce of strength in our bodies, and we reaffirm our commitment to fight for Bengal against the ZAMINDARS in every forum, at every level,” he said.
Also Read | What is the lowdown on MGNREGA funding?
The West Bengal BJP leadership described the resumption of the scheme as a “resounding slap to Trinamool’s corrupt machinery”. “Bengal’s poorest will finally receive what’s rightfully theirs. But make no mistake — Mamata Banerjee Government will try everything to derail this because she simply cannot tolerate any system that she doesn’t control and cannot exploit,” State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said.
BJP MP and party spokesperson for the State, Shamik Bhattacharya also spoke on similar lines, asserting that the BJP and Union government wanted to give people 100-day work money. “We understand that the Trinamool government has pushed its people so far into poverty in this State that they have to depend on this money,” he said.
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