Rahul Gandhi Urges PM Modi to Release Funds for MGNREGS in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's Stand Vindicated

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi begged him to allocate funding for Bengal under MGNREGS in order to meet the workers' demands for employment under the 100 days' jobs initiative and to settle their outstanding pay.

Rahul said in his letter that it was on his most recent trip to the state on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that he learned of the "devastating plight" of the MGNREGS workers in Bengal.


In the letter, he said, "A delegation of MGNREGS workers from Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity apprised me of the issues faced by them." Several Congress politicians shared and tweeted the letter. Additionally, he reminded Modi of his obligation to "uphold social, political, and economic justice" by putting aside political disagreements.

Regarding how the Center's funding block has reduced employment possibilities in Bengal, Rahul's letter said that during 2021–2024, 8,000 fewer families took use of the program than the 75 lakh households that did so between 2021–2022.

While prominent Congressmen like principal spokesman Jairam Ramesh and party president Mallikarjun Kharge have previously brought up the subject, Rahul's remarks on the funding block are new.

There were rumors that the Congress leader was attempting to contact Mamata in a last-ditch effort to preserve the INDIA bloc in Bengal since the letter, which was sent on February 10, 2024, essentially reiterates what Mamata Banerjee has been saying recently.

Mamata recently declared that Trinamul would run for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state alone, expressing her frustration with the Congress and other alliance partners' slowness in reaching seat-sharing agreements and with their attacks on her after they rejected her offer of two seats in Bengal.

Mamata should be pleased with Rahul's letter as it supports her position, according to party insiders, even if Trinamul has not yet responded officially to it.

But nobody in Trinamul ventured to speculate as to whether the letter would spark new discussions over seat sharing.

Rumor has it that negotiations between the Congress and the Left to oppose Trinamul and the BJP in Bengal have started.

The state secretary of the CPM, Md. Salim, accepted Rahul's letter. "The Center's withholding of funds is a truth. Action is also required under the clauses under which they have blocked money after charging the state administration with deception. The federal and state governments need to publish white papers outlining their assertions, but instead, he said, they are selling white falsehoods.

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