Kolkata
While the Trinamool Congress is preparing a major campaign against the Central government over unpaid dues to the West Bengal state government under various centrally-sponsored schemes, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for a massive rally in Kolkata by the end of November. The rally aims to highlight the issues faced by individuals who were deprived of 100-day jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) due to irregularities in job card distribution. A member of the state committee of the BJP revealed that this decision was made during a late-night meeting of the party’s core committee in West Bengal. The rally’s tentative date is November 29, and it will take place in front of CESC House at Esplanade in central Kolkata. Interestingly, the chosen venue is the same location where the Trinamool Congress holds its annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21. The BJP is planning to invite the Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, and the Minister of State for the same ministry, Niranjan Jyoti, to address the gathering. According to the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, thousands of eligible individuals were denied 100-day employment under the MGNREGA scheme due to significant irregularities in project implementation by the state administration. This included the distribution of millions of fake job cards to individuals who were not eligible for jobs under the program. Recognizing potential challenges in obtaining police permission for the rally, the state BJP committee is also prepared to approach the Calcutta High Court to secure the necessary permissions.
