The Trinamool Congress (TMC) hailed the Supreme Court's dismissal of the Centre's appeal on October 27, 2025, as a "supreme blow" to the BJP-led government's alleged obstruction of rural employment schemes in West Bengal, celebrating it as a resounding victory for the state's impoverished workers. The apex court bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, refused to interfere with the Calcutta High Court's June 18 directive mandating the prospective resumption of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from August 1, 2025, thereby upholding the high court's order for immediate fund releases to clear pending wages and restart job allocations.
TMC MP Pratima Mondal, representing Joynagar, lambasted the verdict as exposing the BJP's "anti-poor mindset", accusing the Centre of weaponising the scheme to politically undermine opposition-ruled states like West Bengal, where over 1.2 crore households are registered beneficiaries.
The controversy traces back to the BJP government's abrupt halt of MGNREGA funds to West Bengal in May 2025, citing alleged irregularities and "ghost workers" in a 2024 audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which flagged ₹1,200 crore in discrepancies across 2,000 panchayats. This freeze affected 70 lakh annual job cards, leading to unpaid wages totalling ₹2,500 crore and halting projects like pond desiltation and road repairs in rural districts such as Murshidabad and Birbhum.
The Calcutta High Court, in its interim ruling on June 18, decried the Centre's action as "arbitrary and punitive", directing the Ministry of Rural Development to disburse dues within 30 days and resume allocations without retrospective audits that could delay implementation. The TMC, which swept 29 of 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, petitioned the high court, arguing the cutoff violated the MGNREGA Act's statutory guarantee of 100 days of unskilled labour per financial year, a lifeline for 40% of Bengal's agrarian workforce amid post-flood recovery in the Sunderbans.
Justice Nath's observation that there was "no reason to interfere" reinforces the judiciary's role in safeguarding federalism against executive overreach, a theme echoed in recent rulings like the 2024 NEET paper leak case. Mondal, a vocal critic in Parliament, urged the Centre to release an additional ₹5,000 crore for the current fiscal, warning that delays exacerbate rural distress—unemployment rates in Bengal hover at 7.5%, per NSSO data, fuelling migration to urban slums. The TMC's narrative frames the decision as vindication against BJP's "vendetta politics", especially after similar fund delays in Kerala and Punjab. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who launched "Lakshmir Bhandar" as a state alternative providing ₹1,000 monthly to women, credited the ruling for empowering 2.5 crore poor families, though opposition leaders like Suvendu Adhikari dismissed it as "judicial overreach favouring corruption."
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As implementation begins, with the first wage payments slated for November 15, the verdict spotlights MGNREGA's national footprint—generating 300 crore person-days annually across India but plagued by a ₹12,000 crore pending liability. For West Bengal, where the scheme constitutes 15% of rural GDP, swift execution could avert seasonal hunger during the pre-harvest lean period. The TMC's triumph bolsters its 2026 assembly poll prospects while pressuring the Centre to reform fund disbursement transparently. In a nation where rural poverty affects 25 crore people, this judicial intervention reaffirms MGNREGA's resilience as a bulwark against inequality, ensuring the "right to work" transcends partisan battles.
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