Central funds for Bengal: How TMC managed to outfox BJP in political one-upmanship

If the ongoing tussle between the Centre and the West Bengal government over funds is a game of political one-upmanship, then the TMC has clearly outfoxed the BJP.

Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government has spawned the narrative that the BJP-led Centre has been deliberately depriving the state of funds under multiple schemes, including rural jobs, rural roads and rural housing.

The Centre in multiple communications to the state government however claimed that the funds were being stopped due to “corruption” and “violation of guidelines,” said state government officials familiar with the matter.

Section 27 of MGNREGA

According to the officials, the state government was told that the funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) were not released due to the imposition of Section 27 of the MGNREGA, they cited. It allows the withholding of funds for violation of rules in the scheme's implementation by the state.

Even Parliamentary Standing Committees in the past pointed out violations of norms in many states, including the BJP-ruled ones. But West Bengal is the only state in India where the section is reportedly imposed.

Similar violations were cited for non-release of funds to the state under almost all centrally-sponsored welfare schemes.

“The Centre froze the funds because of largescale theft. Let the state government first stop the theft to get money from the Centre,” said BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

The BJP wanted to kill two birds with one stone by choking funds, said political commentator and author Md Saduddin.

“First, it wanted to deprive rural jobs and cripple the rural economy of Bengal to turn the heat on Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, which has a strong rural base”, he said.

“Since the state government is already besieged by charges of corruption, the BJP leadership also thought the fund-squeeze on charges of graft would make the TMC more vulnerable”, Saduddin further deduced.

Rs 1.15 lakh crore withheld

According to the state government’s estimate, the Modi government withheld over Rs 1.15 lakh crore due under multiple Central schemes.

Refuting the charges of corruption, the state government and the ruling TMC have played the victims.

Panchayat department sources said steps like recovery of misappropriated money and legal action against those responsible were taken and action-taken reports as sought by the Centre were sent and yet the funds were not released.

“Crores of poor workers in Bengal have paid taxes to the Centre but have been deprived of their right to work under MGNREGA because Modi govt wants to take revenge against the people of Bengal for not voting for BJP

“For all his big talks on Independence Day, the truth is that PM Modi & his govt punishes the deprived & the poor only because they didn’t vote for BJP,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Saket Gokhale wrote on X recently.

State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said poor people were made to suffer for political reasons while denying that corruption was the reason for the stoppage of funds.

She claimed that 150 Central teams that visited the state to probe complaints of corruption could not find any wrongdoings.

Between the claims and counterclaims, people seem to be buying the TMC narrative.

This has not only been reflected in the TMC’s overwhelming victory in the recent rural polls and the wresting of Dhupguri Assembly seats from the BJP in the just concluded by-elections, but also in the nature of grievances that have been lodged through the “Sorarsori Mukhyamantri" (Directly Connect to the Chief Minister) interface the state government launched a few months ago.

Thousands of grievances were related to non-payment of dues for 100 days of work directly transferred to the Aadhar-linked accounts of the workers, sources revealed.

TMC plans mega protest rally in Delhi

The Centre owes Rs 7,500 crore to Bengal for MGNREGS. Of this labour-wage component was Rs 2,744 crore. The unpaid workers were also not paid mandatory compensation entitled under the Act.

“Why make us a pawn in a political battle? If the TMC government is corrupt and misusing funds, take action against it. But don’t make us suffer,” said Bijoy, a labourer from Bhangidih village in the state’s tribal-dominated Purulia district.

Bijoy (26) said he did not get payment for around 90 days of work under the MGNREGS, compelling him to migrate to work at an iron foundry in Jharkhand’s Chota Gamahria.

“As a loader at the furnace, I get a daily wage of Rs 350, which is a tad more than the MGNREGS wage of Rs 223 I could have earned back home,” he added.

Many like Bijoy blame the BJP for their plight. The TMC is keen to make the most out of it.

To turn the tables on the BJP by exploiting the situation, the Bengal Assembly last month passed a resolution condemning the Centre for the stoppage of funds.

Not stopping there, the TMC has now planned a mega protest rally in New Delhi on October 2 to highlight the Centre’s alleged apathy towards West Bengal in particular and non-BJP-ruled states in general.

The party has directed all its district units to prepare a district-wise list of MGNREGS workers whose payments were due.

The TMC plans to parade a large number of these workers, mostly women, in New Delhi to “showcase insensitivity of the Modi government towards the poor.”

The party sought permission from Delhi Police to hold protests at three places in the national capital on October 2 and 3 against the Centre for blocking the MGNREGS funds.

The Delhi Police had earlier turned down the party’s request to hold a dharna at Ramlila Maidan. This time too the permission is likely to be denied.

Many TMC leaders say even denial of permission by the Delhi Police, which is under the Union home ministry, would be used against the BJP.

“The BJP is mistaken if it thinks that the voice of the people of Bengal against injustice can be muzzled,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

The BJP clearly needs to pull a suitable strategy out of its hat to win the perception battle, and quickly so, because the TMC by taking its fight to New Delhi, has made its intention clear to make the fund-freeze a major poll issue with a generous dollop of Bengali-victimhood sentiment ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.