Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several other party leaders were detained on Tuesday night after staging a dharna at the Union Rural Development Ministry office in Delhi. They were demanding a meeting with the minister to discuss the release of funds to West Bengal. This development follows a growing tug-of-war between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the allocation of funds.
Earlier, Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders had accused the Centre of attempting to intimidate protesters who had gathered in the national capital to press for the release of funds to West Bengal. The TMC leaders, along with state ministers and supporters, had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar, a day after their two-hour dharna at Rajghat on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary was forcefully dispersed by the police.
Banerjee, addressing the gathering, criticized the massive police presence and security measures, stating that it seemed as if an India-China war was taking place. He accused the central government of trying to threaten the protesters but emphasized that despite these efforts, the TMC would not be deterred.
The root of the conflict lies in the TMC’s claim that the BJP-led NDA government has withheld ₹15,000 crore in dues to West Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and PM Awas Yojana. The BJP, on the other hand, has rejected these allegations and accused the TMC of staging a “drama” in Delhi to divert attention from scams in West Bengal.
Mahua Moitra, a Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar, alleged that the Centre was collecting taxes from West Bengal but not releasing the state’s dues. She highlighted that the protest was not about begging but asserting their rights. Moitra emphasized that Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, was fighting not only for the state but for the entire country.
West Bengal’s Minister of Rural Development, Pradip Mazumdar, pointed out that Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh had assured him during a meeting on November 7, 2022, that the funds would be released. However, despite their efforts, the funds were still withheld. TMC leaders were scheduled to meet Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, as Giriraj Singh was not in Delhi.
Giriraj Singh, in his constituency Begusarai, had alleged on Monday that the Centre’s money was being “siphoned off” by the state government. He claimed that over 25 lakh job cards had been deleted in the state, and the Centre was considering ordering a CBI probe.
The standoff between the Centre and West Bengal over fund allocation has escalated, with TMC leaders taking their protest to the national capital. The detention of Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders further underscores the growing tension between the two governments over financial matters.
