Trinamul to Bring Migrant Workers from NCR to Jantar Mantar Protest

In an effort to draw attention to the plight of people in rural areas of the state after the Narendra Modi government frozen funds under some central schemes, including the 100 days' rural jobs, the Trinamul leadership has decided to bring at least 3,000 migrant workers from Bengal currently living in various parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) to Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

Bengal's ruling Trinamul, led by the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, is attempting to construct a narrative about how the Centre's stepmotherly attitude has caused rural distress and compelled thousands of people to leave Bengal in search of employment as part of its two-day protest in Delhi.

Since the BJP government refuses to grant funding to our state, thousands of Bengalis have moved to Delhi, Mumbai, and a number of other northern and southern regions. Samirul Islam, a Trinamul Rajya Sabha member, stated that some of them who reside in Delhi and its surrounding areas will join our demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

The recently established West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board is presided up by Islam.

According to a source, these migrant workers would demand the payment of back wages and the restarting of funding for MGNREGS in Bengal, together with 3,500 impoverished job card holders from the state who have been transported to Delhi by the Trinamul leadership in buses.

The inclusion of migrant workers in the Jantar Mantar demonstration, according to a senior Trinamul leader, was Abhishek's idea. The Delhi protest was organized by Abhishek as part of a political campaign against the Narendra Modi administration at the Center.

Due to the state's high unemployment rate, the BJP in Bengal has been criticizing Trinamul over the thousands of migrant laborers from Bengal. According to a source, migrant workers who participate in Trinamul's rally in Delhi will aid Bengal's ruling party in refuting the BJP narrative.

In order to appeal to the statistically significant migrant community, the Bengal government established the migrants' welfare board and decided to update their records through the Duare Sarkar camps, according to the source. Approximately 15 lakh migrant workers registered in the previous round of Duare Sarkar camps, which ended on September 30.

According to earlier estimates, Bengal is home to 32 lakh migrant laborers, 5 lakh of whom are employed in the Gulf.

"Migrant workers' participation will give our demonstration a new dimension. Young migrant workers are especially welcome, especially those who have to arrive in Delhi between December 2021 and March 2023. A top Trinamul politician said that it would be a suitable response to the BJP's narrative.

Samirul Islam, one of the Trinamul workers, traveled to various colonies in Delhi and its surrounding areas to educate migrant workers of the party's Jantar Mantar demonstration.

On Tuesday, Dulal Mahato, a migrant worker from Purulia who is currently employed in Gurgaon, will take part in Trinamul's protest.

In January 2022, I moved to Gurgaon to work in construction. If I had been hired in my village through the Center's rural jobs program, I would not have been had to leave my state. I'll participate in the demonstration to urge that MGNREGS resume because I want to return home, said Mahato.