Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “devastating plight” of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) scheme in West Bengal and urged him to facilitate the release of central funds to the state for clearing their pending wages.

In his letter to Modi on February 10, Gandhi said that during his recent visit to West Bengal, as part of the party’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, a delegation of MGNREGS workers from the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity apprised him of the issues faced by them.

The letter came days after chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has even held a two-day protest over the delay in release of central funds under various schemes, on February 3 said her government would pay the dues of 2.1 million MGNREGS workers, who have not received wages under the 100-days of work programme, by February 21.

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Flagging the “devastating plight” of MGNREGS workers in Bengal and their relentless fight for justice, Gandhi, in his letter, said: “Lakhs of our brothers and sisters have been denied work and wages under MGNREGS due to the stoppage of central funds to West Bengal since March, 2022. I was informed that many workers have not been paid for work completed in 2021 due to shortfall in funds.

For many, MGNREGS is the only safety net in times of crisis, and an assured livelihood source, the former Congress president pointed out.

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“In this context, I request the Union government to facilitate the release of funds to clear pending wages, and ensure that the demand for work is met. I believe that we have a duty to rise above our political differences to uphold social, political and economic justice,” the Congress leader said.