Delhi protest: TMC arranges special buses to transport 5,000 MGNREGA cardholders

The TMC on Saturday vowed to transport to Delhi by special buses nearly 5,000 MGNREGA job cardholders to protest against the alleged withholding of funds by the Centre.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee had announced on Friday that his party will make alternative arrangements for the October 3 protest in Delhi after saying the request for a special train had been denied.

Another party leader said the protesters would travel by buses all the way to Delhi. “Since the buses will go through BJP-ruled states, we are also arranging for pilot cars to ensure the safety and security of the MGNREGA job cardholders,” the leader said.

According to TMC sources, every bus will also have a TMC leader and activists to take care of the 100-day job cardholders. “The party has also made arrangements for their stay in Delhi,” TMC sources said.

The Eastern Railways said it received the request from IRCTC and the non-availability of the required number of coaches was the reason for the denial.

Banerjee said West Bengal had around 2.65 crore people with MGNREGA job cards and that thousands of them had reached Kolkata from various parts of the state to travel to Delhi to seek their dues. Some 5,000 people were supposed to leave for Delhi on a special train on September 30.

In Delhi, the party's MPs, MLAs and leaders from across West Bengal will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on October 2.

Banerjee, a two-time MP from Diamond Harbour, who is also the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said he had been told that Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh won’t be in his office on October 3. “We have told them that we want to meet his deputy if the minister is not in office,” he said.

(With agency inputs)