Kolkata, Oct 27 (PTI) Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing the prospective implementation of the 100-day job guarantee scheme in West Bengal from August 1, 2025, calling it “another crushing defeat for the outsider anti-Bengal zamindars.” Banerjee said the verdict is a democratic slap on the face of those who believed Bengal could be bullied, coerced, or silenced.
“BJP’s arrogance has met its reckoning. They take from Bengal, yet refuse to return her dues. But now, they’ve been defeated in People’s Vote and in the Supreme Court,” Banerjee added.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta refused to entertain the plea filed against the June 18 order of the Calcutta high court, saying the HC’s order did not warrant interference.
In its order, the high court had said the Centre is fully empowered to impose special conditions, restrictions and regulations, which have not been imposed in other states, to ensure that no irregularity occurs while the scheme is being implemented in West Bengal.
Allowing the Centre to continue its inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in some districts of the state, the high court had directed that the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme be implemented prospectively with effect from August 1.
“At this juncture, the endeavour of the court is to the implementation of the scheme in the state of West Bengal which has been kept in abeyance for the past close to three years,” the high court had said.
Banerjee described the Modi-Shah dispensation as “Bohiragato Bangla Birodhi Zamindars (outsider, anti-Bengal people having mindset of landlord).” The order meant a “crushing defeat for the outsider anti-Bengal zamindars,” he added.
“The Hon’ble Supreme Court today dismissed the Central Government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order directing the resumption of MGNREGA in Bengal. This is a historic victory for the people of Bengal, who refused to bow down before Delhi’s arrogance and injustice,” he said in a post on X.
“When they failed to defeat us politically, BJP weaponised deprivation. They imposed an Economic Blockade on Bengal, snatching away the wages of the poor and punishing the people for standing by Maa, Mati, Manush. But Bengal does not yield. We promised to fight for every rightful rupee, every honest worker, every silenced voice,” the Diamond Harbour MP said.
Endorsing his view, senior party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said the Centre’s move had deprived over one crore poor people in Bengal for years.
“Rightful wages under MGNREGA are denied to 1.4 crore workers in Bengal. Anybody listening?” Today Supreme Court listened, Under @MamataOfficial @abhishekaitc we fought the good fight,” O ‘Brien said. PTI SUS MNB
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