AGARTALA, November 24 (TIWN): As part of the decision of All India CPI (M) party, a total of 20 CPI (M) MLA from Tripura left for Delhi to take part in the sit-in-demonstration in front of Parliament on centrally sponsored MGNREGA issue on November 26. Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar had already left for Delhi.

As per the decision of All India CPI (M) party, the supporters will move for country-wide protests, reacting to the Centre’s decision to curtail MGNREGA scheme. Besides talking to the media persons at MLA hostel no. 2 general secretary of SC welfare department Sudhan Das said that the CPI (M) supporters and leaders will also move for several scheduled programme on November 26 across the state against the curtailment of employment in MGNREGA scheme.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar urged PM to restore the funds cut under MGNREGA for Tripura. He said although MGNREGA was implemented most successfully in Tripura, with 87 days of work per household in the 2013-14 fiscal against the national average of 45 days, the state’s allocation had been sharply reduced for the current fiscal (2014-15).

Sudhan Das  coming down heavily upon the Central Govt. said that in the central budget of 2014-15, the initial MGNREGA allocation for Tripura was Rs. 1, 406.96 crore but within two months of the central budget the state was informed that only Rs. 652 crore would be available for the current financial year but so far til the month of September 2014 the state had received only Rs. 180 crore. Beside the central had also asked the state to select at least 15 Blocks where the MGNREGA scheme may continue, said Sudhan Das.

It is to be mentioned here that though the NDA govt.’s attempt to curtail the scope of the employment-generating MGNREGA scheme for the poor people, has sparked resentment in the Left circles of the state, but the recent MGNREGA multicrore scam at Bishalgarh RD Block had of course lead the people of the state to be much aware of the cap that CM Manik Sarkar had put on the head of the poor people. Moreover is the sit-in-demonstration of Manik Sarkar another strategy to fool the people of his state and produce another scam?