MGNREGA dues: After deprivation, Bengal removed from state-wise list
The Statesman | 26 July 2025
Trinamul Congress MPs today came down heavily on the BJP after the concerned central minister refused to mention the pending MGNREGA dues of Bengal.
Derek O’Brien, leader of Trinamul Congress in Rajya Sabha, raised a starred question to know the state-wise data of pending MGNREGA dues. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, minister of agriculture and farmers’ welfare, while replying to the question, refused to mention Bengal.
Trinamul Congress wrote in its X-handle: “In response to a pointed question by our Parliamentary Leader in Rajya Sabha, Shri@derekobrienmp seeking state wise data of pending MGNREGA dues, Union Minister @ChouhanShivraj chose not to even mention Bengal. Bengal is being erased from the Union government’s records. First, they withheld Bengal’s rightful dues. Then they began targeting Bengalis across BJP-ruled states with arbitrary arrest and illegal deportation. And now they are air brushing Bengal out of the map altogether. This is wilful political vengeance by a regime that cannot accept rejection in Bengal, a regime hell bent on humiliating 10 crore people for daring to vote differently.”
Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay, Rajya Sabha MP said it was most unfortunate the even a minister while giving a written reply did not mention the pending MGNREGA dues of Bengal. “After failing to put up a fight against Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, the BJP has now deleted Bengal’s name from the list of states with pending MGNREGA dues,” he said, adding, “In the BJP-ruled states, the Bengali-speaking migrant workers have been detained and even deported. There is constant attack on the Bengalis and now they have deleted Bengal from list of states. The people of Bengal will not forget this deprivation and will give a befitting reply in 2026 Assembly election.”