Amid Congress social gathering’s efforts to mollify Mamata Banerjee who has shunned the INDIA bloc, Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, demanding that the Central authorities launch pending MNREGA funds to the West Bengal authorities.

“I am writing to you regarding the devastating plight of MGREGS workers in West Bengal, and their relentless fight for justice. During my recent visit to West Bengal as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, a delegation of MGNREGS workers from Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity apprised me of the issues faced by them. A copy of the representation is appended herewith. Lakhs of our brothers and sisters have been denied work and wages under MGREGS due to the stoppage of central funds to West Bengal Since March, 2022,” he wrote within the letter.

Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress authorities have been protesting in opposition to the Centre for the discharge of the funds.

She introduced final week that the state authorities would pay the pending wages of 21 lakh employees by February 21.

Also read: No seat sharing with Congress till they are aligned with CPIM: Mamata Banerjee

“The state government will clear the dues of 21 lakh MGNREGA workers, whose wages have been kept pending by the central government for the past two years. Their wages will be transferred to their bank accounts by February 21,” Mamata Banerjee stated in a press release.

In final December, Banerjee led a delegation that met PM Modi over the alleged delay.

A ten-member delegation, together with our MPs, met the PM right now. I urged the PM to launch the funds as a result of state. He stated there might be joint conferences between officers from the Centre and West Bengal on this,” the CM had said.

Gandhi’s expression of solidarity with the state government comes weeks after Banerjee announced that her Trinamool Congress will contest the general elections alone in West Bengal.

Banerjee later slammed Gandhi’s Congress, saying it will not even win 40 Lok Sabha seats.

Also read: Mamata Banerjee attacks Congress-CPI(M) tie-up, says ‘won’t share single seat’ in West Bengal

“I doubt if you (Congress) will win 40. I was offering two seats and would have let them win. But they wanted more. I said okay, contest on all 42 then. Rejected! There has been no conversation with them since,” she had said.

Despite the continuous sniping, the Congress has been trying to assuage her anger.

Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi said Banerjee was still a member of the INDIA alliance.

“Mamata (Banerjee) may be very a lot a part of the INDIA alliance and many of the different members who’re a part of the INDIA alliance are nonetheless members of the INDIA alliance…Nitish Kumar has left the alliance and he is gone to the BJP. You can guess as to what the explanations are for him leaving. That’s superb. We’ll combat in Bihar because the INDIA alliance. So I do not agree that plenty of our companions will not be a part of the alliance,” he stated.

The INDIA bloc is dealing with an existential disaster as many regional gamers, together with Banerjee, Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal have introduced that they may contest the elections alone.

With inputs from ANI, PTI