The leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal have made a call for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the utilization of MGNREGA funds allocated by the central government to the state government. This demand coincides with protests staged by the Trinamool Congress in Delhi, led by the party's general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is urging the release of funds for West Bengal by the central government.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, has alleged the existence of "significant irregularities" in the state government's utilization of the central government's NREGA funds. He is pressing for the central government to initiate a CBI investigation into the matter.
The BJP has further claimed that the central government suspended the disbursement of NREGA funds due to the state government's failure to address these irregularities despite receiving numerous reminders.
Giriraj Singh, Union Rural Development Minister and BJP leader, has asserted that the West Bengal government failed to provide a "satisfactory response" to repeated reminders from the ministry regarding allegations of "corruption and irregularities."
Sukanta Majumdar, the Bengal BJP chief, has alleged that the central government halted payments under the MGNREGA program because funds were being diverted to activities not permitted by the Act. He also claimed that money was deposited into bank accounts created under fictitious lists. Following a central investigation that exposed these irregularities, the Centre instructed the state government to recover the misappropriated funds.
In parallel, in Delhi, Abhishek Banerjee, together with hundreds of party workers and leaders, staged a sit-in at Rajghat on Gandhi Jayanti, calling for the release of NREGA funds. Trinamool Congress workers and leaders arrived in the national capital on 49 buses from West Bengal to hold these protests.
The West Bengal government has accused the central government of withholding Rs 15,000 crore in dues to the state under the MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana schemes.
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