Agartala, February 17 (). The opposition Congress held a massive rally in Agartala on Tuesday, accusing the BJP central government of weakening and effectively withdrawing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
Hundreds of Congress supporters participated in the rally that started from Swami Vivekananda Maidan, led by senior leaders carrying party flags and banners. The rally going to Lok Bhawan (Governor House) was stopped by the police in Buddha Mandir area amid heavy security deployment.
Addressing the gathering, senior Congress leaders, including state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha, former minister and MLA Sudip Roy Barman, and MLA Birajit Sinha strongly criticized the Center for systematically weakening MNREGA.
Speaking to reporters, Roy Barman, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee, described MNREGA as a ‘landmark scheme’ launched by the Congress’s UPA government in 2005 and alleged that the special rules allowing citizens to seek employment have been diluted.
He said, ‘It is becoming increasingly difficult to get work under this scheme.’ He further alleged that earlier the financial and planning powers given to the Panchayats have been reduced and now the states have to bear up to 40 percent of the expenditure, which is adversely affecting the poor states.
Roy Burman said, “When states fail to shoulder this burden, poor village people suffer. Those who depend on MNREGA lose livelihood opportunities.” He also said that Congress has given a memorandum to the Governor demanding proper implementation of the Act.
The Congress leader also hit out at the ongoing tussle between the BJP and its ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP) ahead of the mandatory Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, calling it a ‘political drama’.
Referring to the recent statements of Chief Minister Manik Saha and TMP chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma on the issue of Kokborok (tribal language) Roman script, Roy Barman claimed that the controversy is being used to divert attention from core governance issues. He reiterated that Congress supports the Roman script for Kokborok, and said tribal communities have the democratic right to choose their own script.
“Calling it foreign is an excuse. Instead of addressing the concerns of unemployment and livelihood, sensitive cultural issues are being politicized,” he alleged.
Congress leaders said that while political drama has dominated the discussion ahead of TTAADC elections, important issues like rural employment and social security are being ignored.
Later, a delegation of 6 people met Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu at Lok Bhavan and submitted a memorandum stating their issues. Congress demanded withdrawal of the newly implemented Develop India-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural).
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SCH