TMC to Launch Protests in Parliament Over Bengal’s Pending Dues
Party to raise 20-point questionnaire targeting Centre on funds, disasters and cultural recognition
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Dec: The Trinamool Congress is gearing up to launch a sustained protest campaign in Parliament during the upcoming Winter Session, with party MPs planning daily demonstrations over what they term long-pending central government dues owed to West Bengal. According to sources, each day will feature a distinct, issue-specific protest, with MPs carrying themed placards and posters while circling the Parliament complex.
The strategy is built around a detailed 20-point questionnaire the TMC has put before the BJP-led Centre, demanding answers on stalled fund releases, delays in disaster relief and unfinished infrastructure projects. The party’s central allegation is that thousands of crores meant for West Bengal under centrally sponsored schemes have been withheld. The list cites pending dues under MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana (Rural), Samagra Shiksha, PM Gram Sadak Yojana and the Jal Jeevan Mission. TMC leaders have also questioned the Centre over the non-release of NDRF funds and pending compensation for cyclones Amphan, Yaas and Bulbul.
The party’s questionnaire goes beyond welfare schemes, flagging repeated floods allegedly caused by uncoordinated water releases from DVC dams. It also highlights attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states, delays in railway station redevelopment projects under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and the limited flow of funds to West Bengal under the revamped power distribution scheme.
Cultural and identity-related issues feature prominently in the document as well. The TMC is demanding recognition of Sarna or Sari dharma as a separate religion, inclusion of Kurmali and Rajbongshi Kamtapuri languages in the Eighth Schedule, declaration of Gangasagar Mela as a national fair and recognition of Poila Boishakh as the state’s Foundation Day. The party has also reiterated its long-pending request for approval to rename the state as “Bangla.”
The protests will also revive the TMC’s earlier demand for a White Paper on Bengal’s dues. On March 14, 2024, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had challenged the Centre to publish a detailed account of fund allocation to West Bengal since the 2021 Assembly elections, alleging that payments under MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana had been halted. Party leaders say that more than 21 months later, the questions remain unanswered, prompting them to escalate the matter in Parliament.
Separately, on the birth anniversary of C. Rajagopalachari, or Rajaji, floral tributes were paid in the Central Hall of Parliament. TMC MPs Yusuf Pathan and June Malia were among those who paid homage, according to sources.
