WB: Amid BJP's mega show in heart of Kolkata, CM Mamata leads TMC protest over non-payment of central dues

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 29 : As the BJP organised a massive show of strength at the heart of Kolkata on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with members of the ruling Trinamool Congress, sat on a dharna on the Assembly premises over the alleged non-payment of pending MGNREGA funds by the Centre.

Members from the treasury benches were seen sitting on the stairs leading to the legislative assembly and raising slogans against the BJP-led Centre.
The ruling party in the state has accused the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of delaying the disbursement of arrears under MGNREGA and the PM Awas Yojana running into thousands of crores.
However, the Centre countered the TMC charge, saying that the funds were withheld due to non-compliance by the state government with central directives.
Led by Abhishek Banerjee, the CM's nephew, and a host of top Trinamool leaders and MPs, the ruling party had organised a dharna in the national capital, demanding that the Centre release the alleged MGNREGA dues at the earliest.
The ruling party also staged a march to the Raj Bhavan to protest against the alleged non-payment of dues under central schemes.
The Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, the party's students' wing, has also been mobilising rallies and protests on the streets of Kolkata alleging rising inflation and unemployment on the watch of the BJP-led Centre.
At a similar protest held earlier on Thursday, Kailash Mishra, a TMCP leader, said the students' front has sent 51,000 letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, underlining alleged unemployment and concerns over the state of the national economy.
Headlining the BJP's show of strength in the heart of Kolkata on Thursday, the Union Home Minister called on the people to overthrow the TMC government in the next Assembly elections in 2026.
Mishra said the letters also highlighted how the Centre, at the BJP's behest, was discriminating against the TMC government and withholding central funds to "exact political revenge".
"We have been sending thousands of letters to the country's Home Minister Amit Shah. As he arrives in Kolkata today, we will send him the letters where we have detailed how the Centre was withholding funds for lakhs of people across the state, who toiled for 100 days under MGNREGA but are yet to receive their payments. He is welcome to visit the state but should come clean on why the people are being denied their dues. He has to answer," Mishra told ANI earlier on Thursday.
He added that the TMC students' front will post soft copies of the letters on social media tagging Shah, the BJP and the party's Bengal unit.
"The letters will be dispatched by post to Amit Shah's New Delhi residence as well," he added.