On the second day of her sit-in protest at Red Road against the non-clearance of funds meant for Bengal for various schemes by the Central government, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her government will clear the pending wages of 21 lakh MGNREGA workers by 21 February.

Miss Banerjee, speaking from the protest stage in front of the BR Ambedkar statue, made it clear that although the funds were supposed to come from the Central government, her government would not be subservient to the Centre. “The pending wages for the work of 21 lakh people in the state will be cleared without any delay. The money will reach their bank accounts by 21 February,” Miss Banerjee announced.

If the central government doesn’t provide the funds, the state will arrange the necessary finances to meet the obligations, she said. Miss Banerjee in the same breath emphasised that the fight for the pending dues would continue. The Chief Minister vowed that the 21 lakh workers who were engaged for the MGNREGA rural job guarantee scheme will not face any problems, and stated that the state government will manage the funds, even if it means diverting resources within the state.

“The Central government is depriving the state and MGNREGA workers. But this month, the pending wages for 21 lakh people will be disbursed,” Miss Banerjee said. “We do not want to beg to BJP nor do we want BJP’s alms,” she said. “In the past two years, they have given us zero with our hard work. We have worked for 19 lakh man days. What do you expect from me? A fight? The fight is ongoing,” she said. Simultaneously, Mamata noted that the clearance of funds for construction of 11 lakh homes has not been completed by the Centre. “I won’t talk about the housing issue today.

I will speak about it at the right time. Keep faith; we don’t seek charity; we want victory,” Miss Banerjee said. Addressing the question of where the money will come from, Miss Banerjee said this is the people’s money, the money of the soil, explaining that the funds will come from the state government.

Miss Banerjee has been staging a sit-in demonstration on Red Road, since yesterday, demanding the clearance of pending funds the Central government. The Trinamul Congress chairperson also reiterated that her party will go all out against the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.