On 24th June 2022, from 11 in the morning till 4 in the evening, NREGA workers occupied Purulia town in West Bengal. Over 2500 workers, who are members of the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS) took out processions in the town and organised a protest demonstration in front of the District Magistrate’s office. Their demand was immediate payment of their wages that have remained unpaid since December 2021. Along with compensation as per law for late payment of wages.

A colourful procession with hundreds of women and men workers marching with their union’s flags and festoons was taken out. In a district, where the BJP has repeatedly been winning elections, Purulia town resonated with slogans of “Jaat dharam baad de, khali haate kaaj de” (Stop your politics of caste and religion, give work to empty hands). Workers demanded immediate payment of their pending wages, telling both Central and State Governments to stop victimising them in their spat over procedure and corruption.

The procession took a round of the whole town, before dividing into 3 sub-groups of about 800 workers each. One group went to meet the Zilla Sabhadipati (district chairman), Sujoy Banerjee, who expressed helplessness, and said the Central Government was not cooperating. He suggested that the amounts owed in wages should be transferred directly to workers’ accounts by the Central Government. This would avoid involvement of the State Government and its alleged corruption, he said. He also promised to forward the demands of the workers to the Governor.

A second procession went to meet Shri Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, the BJP MP from Purulia, so that he would bring up the issue with his own party in the Central Government. They were disappointed. Not only did the MP disappear, but there was no-one in his office to even receive the complaints of the workers. The third procession sat in dharna in front of the DM’s office. It however did not get into much discussion with the DM (Shri Rajat Nanda), who had already on the 10th of June, told a PBKMS delegation that he was helpless in this matter.

The workers and members of PBKMS later received messages of solidarity and support from representatives of various mass organisations and political parties. Prominent among these were Trideb Choudhury, District Secretary, All India Agricultural Workers Union and Ajay Mahato from the Right to Food and Work Campaign West Bengal. Representatives from the Indian National congress and Party for Democratic Socialism also extended support. BJP and TMC representatives however did not come despite invitations, probably because they would have found it difficult to answer people’s questions.

In the meantime, a delegation of PBKMS and the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (a national platform of non-party unions of NREGA workers) met Director NREGA, Shri Dharamvir Jha. When asked about the stoppage of NREGA funds to West Bengal, Shri Dharamvir Jha stated that the release of funds and labour budget is being withheld by the centre as they state that there are irregularities and corruption within the state. They have been asking the state to correct these issues for the past 3 years with no satisfactory response, so they have been forced to take strict actions.

On delayed payments and workers bearing the brunt, the director responded that the state can release the wages from their own funds and can get it reimbursed. PBKMS brought up the unfairness of victimising workers for the corruption and inefficiencies of some officials and a large section of ruling party leaders. To this argument the director has no answer.

PBKMS ended its program with a declaration of future steps:

Meeting with Shri NN Sinha, Rural Development Secretary at 2.30 pm 27th June 2022 in Delhi , with the demand that wages should be transferred directly to workers whom PBKMS has listed, while the dispute between state and centre is resolved.

Meeting with Shri Becharam Manna, Minister of State for Rural Development between 2 and 4 PM on 27th June 2022 in Kolkata with the demand that the State Government should pay wages and seek reimbursement from the Central Government.

Seeking appointments with Governor and BJP party leaders in West Bengal to convince them that workers must not be victimised by the Central Government for the misdeeds of officials and party leaders.

Plans for dharnas (sit-in demonstrations) in Kolkata and Delhi.

Legal action with filing a court case in Calcutta High Court on the issue of pending wages.

PBKMS also declared that a national level fact finding team from the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha will also be coming to West Bengal at the end of this month to inquire into the delay in wages and the reasons for the same.