According to the latest figures, Bengal’s MGNREGA dues from the Central Government stand at a staggering ₹52,000 crore. Unable to stomach their humiliating defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections, the Narendra Modi regime has chosen to choke Bengal’s rural economy by strangling the lifeline of millions of job-card holders who depend on that income to survive. While the Supreme Court has directed relief, the Centre has neither released the pending dues nor resumed the scheme in our State. Instead of honouring the Court’s orders and restoring wages to the poorest families, the Union Government has shown contempt for both the law and the poor and vulnerable rural population. And to add insult to injury, the Union Finance Minister resorted to brazen falsehoods on the floor of Parliament. But Bengal will not be starved into submission. We will fight in Parliament, in the courts, and on the streets. For every rupee withheld, there will be accountability; for every family pushed to the edge, there will be justice
