Both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Opposition Left, barring the BJP, welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision not to interfere with the Calcutta High Court’s order for the resumption of MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1, 2025.

The Centre had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s order, directing the Centre to resume funding and payments under MGNREGA, the rural job guarantee scheme, for West Bengal from August 1, 2025.

TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called the Supreme Court’s ruling a “historic victory for the people of Bengal” and accused the BJP-led Centre of imposing an “economic blockade” on West Bengal by withholding wages. In a post on X, he said the verdict was a rebuke to Delhi’s “arrogance and injustice.”

“Another crushing defeat for the Bohiragoto Bangla-Birodhi Zamindars (Foreign anti-Bengali zamindars). The Hon’ble Supreme Court today dismissed the Centre’s plea challenging the High Court’s order directing the resumption of MGNREGA in Bengal. When they failed to defeat us politically, the BJP weaponised deprivation, snatching away the wages of the poor and punishing the people for standing by Maa, Mati, Manush. But Bengal does not yield. They take from Bengal, yet refuse to return her dues. Now, they’ve been defeated in the people’s vote and in the Supreme Court,” he posted on X.

TMC MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, who represented the state government in the court, said the SC’s decision highlighted the fact that the Centre has been withholding the funds meant for West Bengal.

“The Centre withheld 100-day work money against the interests of the people of Bengal. The High Court had already ruled in favour of resuming the scheme, and the Supreme Court’s quick dismissal of the Centre’s plea reinforced that judgment,” Bandyopadhyay said.

The Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, a group of unorganised labourers, which had filed a petition in the High Court, demanding the release of MGNREGA funds, welcomed the Supreme Court’s order.

“Today’s dismissal of Centre’s plea by the Supreme Court marks a decisive victory for Bengal’s rural workers and affirmation that the right to work cannot be denied or delayed. This is not merely a legal win, it is a victory of dignity, labour, collective struggle,” said Anuradha Talwar, a state committee member of the Khet Mazur Samity, adding that the organisation would continue to press for full compliance on the ground.

CPI(M) leader Bikasranjan Bhattacharya, who represented the Khet Majoor Samity in the HC, said the top court’s order would restore work and wages to poor rural families. “The central government has wrongfully withheld funds for this project. As a result of the court’s order, the poor will get work again,” he said.

However, the labour union slammed the TMC for “taking credit” for the court’s order, saying the “verdict was a victory of Bengal’s rural workers and not a political party”.

Invoking Section 27 of the MGNREGA, the Centre had withheld funds to Bengal in 2022, citing corruption and “non-compliance” of its directives”. Since then, no work under MGNREGA has taken place. In 2023, the then Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh told Parliament that Rs 13,965.91 crore was pending for Bengal as the Centre’s share under two schemes — MG-NREGS and PMAY-G.

The West Bengal government, however, claimed the total dues amount to Rs 18,000 crore under three rural development schemes — MG-NRGES, PMAY-G, and PMGSY.