E-Paper
Abhishek Banerjee ‘attacked’ during mega MGNREGA protest; TMC alleges conspiracy
The TMC leader kickstarted the two-day protest against the alleged delay of MGNREGA funds and other schemes despite being denied permission from Delhi Police.
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday alleged the central government of conspiring to stop the two-day protest in Delhi against the denial of MGNREGA and housing scheme funds to the West Bengal government. According to senior party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the security forces deployed at the location allegedly attempted to attack Abhishek Banerjee. "Shame on this government, we are surprised," he added.
Earlier in the day, the TMC leader reached Delhi and visited Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary before kickstarting the peaceful sit-in at the venue. Party leaders, workers and deprived beneficiaries camped in the national capital since late Sunday evening. Delhi Police laid down tight security cover around the Mahatma Gandhi memorial and Ambedkar Bhavan. Treatment of protestors was uncertain as the event was scheduled without prior permission from Delhi Police.
"As I said, a lot of attempts were made and conspiracy was done to stop our two-day event in Delhi on 2-3 October. First, permission was not granted, now we are not being allowed to speak," Banerjee told reporters.
TMC leader Babul Supriyo advised the central government against the use of agencies in political scrimmage. “We did a peaceful protest. I feel that political fights have their own place but you are using agencies in political fights. All the parties have stood against it because they are doing injustice...They have stopped funds (for MGNREGA and other schemes) which is against the federal structure,” he said.
Banerjee decided to conduct the protest during a rally in West Bengal where he discovered how the state's residents are significantly impacted due to the central government witholding funds.
However, state's opposition BJP alleged TMC of mismanagement of funds by creating over 1 crore fake job cards. Leader of opposition in the Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari called it the ‘biggest scam after independence’.
Union rural development minister Giriraj Singh dismissed TMC's claim and said the central government never stopped funds in any scheme and that the West Bengal government started ‘looting the poor’ in the name of MGNREGA.
