Cooch Behar, December 9, 2025 - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee escalated her conflict with the central government on Tuesday by publicly tearing up a document outlining new norms for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The incident occurred during a Trinamool Congress (TMC) rally in Cooch Behar, where Banerjee accused the Centre of withholding funds and using them as a political weapon against the state.
Banerjee denounced the new MGNREGA guidelines as "valueless and insulting," asserting that Bengal would not depend on "Delhi's charity". She declared that her government would expand its own state-funded employment scheme, Karmashree, rather than accept what she described as politically motivated restrictions designed to undermine Bengal's welfare programs.
Addressing the crowd at the Rash Mela Ground, Banerjee claimed that the Centre owes West Bengal ₹51,627 crore under MGNREGA. She alleged that these funds were deliberately withheld due to "jealousy and hatred," forcing the state government to disburse ₹2,700 crore from its own coffers to pay 59 lakh workers. She further said that the central government has stopped MGNREGA, even after the High Court ruled in their favor, and that cases were filed against party members who protested in Delhi.
Banerjee criticized the Centre's new conditions for releasing MGNREGA funds, which included submitting a quarterly labor budget and providing training. She questioned the practicality of these conditions, given the proximity of the upcoming elections. "Where is the time to show it? This is December, and the election is due in February. Then they said that training has to be provided. When will we train and when will we give them jobs?" she asked.
In response to the Centre's actions, Banerjee declared, "We don't want your mercy". She tore up the document, stating, "That is why I tore up the note - I feel it is disrespectful and insulting". She highlighted the Karmashree scheme as an alternative, vowing to increase workdays under the program. "Under Karmashree, we are at present handing out 70 days of work. We will increase it to 75–80 days," she said. Some reports indicate that she said that her government would increase the workdays to 100 days.
Banerjee framed the confrontation with the Centre as a "battle for dignity and federal rights," asserting, "Bengal has never bowed its head and never will. Bengal knows how to walk with its head held high". She accused the Centre of pushing divisive politics and attempting to delete voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections under the guise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Banerjee also warned that "If the BJP wins Bengal, the state will be destroyed. Our identity, language and culture will be wiped out. Their plan is to turn the entire state into a detention camp". She also accused the BJP of disrespecting Bengal's history and freedom struggle.
The TMC has repeatedly stated that the freeze on MGNREGA payments, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana allocations, and rural road development grants has crippled Panchayat-level spending, especially in politically sensitive districts. Banerjee suggested that the Centre might release a portion of the unpaid funds just before the upcoming elections, not for development but for political optics.
The BJP has responded to these allegations by claiming that there is significant corruption in the implementation of such schemes in West Bengal. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista countered Banerjee's claims about inadequate funds for Public Health Engineering (PHE) projects by detailing the allocations made by the Centre.
