Mamata Banerjee to Lead Dharna Over Center's Withholding of State Dues
Protest Highlights Political Controversy on Withheld Dues, Especially Under MGNREGA
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, will begin a dharna here on Friday in protest of what she claims is the Center's withholding of the state's dues.
Significant political controversy in the state has arisen from the Center's withholding of dues, especially under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
"The dharna on the Maidan's Red Road sector will begin at 1 pm. Mamata Banerjee, our party supremo, will spearhead the protest. There will be other senior party officials in attendance, a top TMC official said.
The seriousness of the issue has been highlighted by previous protests led by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and a group of party lawmakers, MPs, ministers, and MGNREGA workers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which were followed by a five-day sit-in outside Raj Bhavan here.
In order to improve the livelihood security of rural families, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005 mandates that guaranteed wage employment be provided for at least 100 days within a fiscal year.
TMC insiders claim that the dharna is the third significant protest on the matter in front of the Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources, the protest may go for up to 48 hours, purposefully starting on February 5—the day the West Bengal budget session starts.
The most recent uproar is reminiscent of Abhishek Banerjee's protest in New Delhi and the ensuing dharna outside Raj Bhavan in Calcutta, as well as a similar two-day sit-in that Banerjee herself organized in March of the previous year.
