New Delhi:

Trinamool Congress party workers have gathered at the Rajghat in Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti and held a protest against the central government alleging a lack of fund allocation for MGNREGA and other social security schemes for West Bengal.

On Tuesday, the TMC workers are likely to hold a protest against the central government for what it claimed was the the centre’s failure in disbursement of funds to the state for MGNREGA, AWAS Yojana and other central government schemes.

The TMC had alleged that there were several attempts to block the protest by declining permissions, and cancelling trains and flights who were trying to converge in the national capital. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee shared that the permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar was given verbally and written permission was still pending.

“Section 144 has been imposed in that area (Jantar Mantar),” he had asserted earlier.

Mr Banerjee was summoned by the ED on Oober 3, the day it had planned for the demonstration of protest in Delhi, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cash-for-school job scam.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Susmita Dev hit out at the central government over the refusal to provide special trains to MGNREGA job cardholders from West Bengal to reach Delhi and said that they were ready for the fight.

Ahead of the TMC worker’s protest in Delhi, Party leader Susmita Dev said, “BJP has practically declared war on the people of Bengal who want to come to Delhi to protest for their rightful dues from the Union government on October 2 and 3. First, they summoned National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee through the ED. Now, since he is determined to come to Delhi, they have refused to give special trains for the people of Bengal to reach Delhi…The people of Bengal have met this challenge by getting into buses and coming by road which is going to take them very long but they are ready for the fight.”

Susmita Dev further said that many of the public representatives from Bengal had booked a flight to reach Delhi.

She said, “A well-known airline like Vistara where 120 people were due to travel to Delhi to join the protest but now without any explanation Vistara airlines has cancelled that entire flight in which TMC leaders were coming. It is clear that the BJP realises it is unprecedented for the people of Bengal to come to Delhi to protest against the Union government. They will not let it succeed but you can see on social media that thousands of people are coming on buses. People will reach Delhi anyhow under the leadership of CM Mamata Banerjee and General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.”

Thousands of MGNREGA job cardholders from West Bengal had left for the national capital, in several buses arranged by Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the protest.

The protesters, under the banner of ‘Dilli Cholo: A fight for our rights!’, intended to raise their voices for the payment of arrears for 100 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, lashing out at the Centre for what she termed “vendetta politics” on Monday, said her partymen will pray at Rajghat if permission to protest in Delhi on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary is denied.

Trinamool Congress had sought permission from the Delhi Police to protest the non-release of NREGA dues to Bengal at three venues in the national capital including Rajghat where Gandhi’s ashes are kept.

“How can Delhi Police give permission (for the protest) when they are scared? They are not our enemies but they have to follow political directives. Every person can go to pay their respects to Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti. If they deny us permission to protest, our MPs, MLAs, and zilla parishad presidents can go and pray at Rajghat,” Ms Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat on Monday.

Demanding the Centre release NREGA funds due to Bengal without delay, the Chief Minister said, “They have not given us money for 100 days’ of work, roads, and Gramin Awas Yojana”.

“Bengal owes Rs 1.15 lakh-crore under various heads. If they have even the slightest respect for federalism and state-Centre relations, they should release the funds at the earliest. It is not good to play politics with the poor,” she said.

She also denounced the summons sent by the Enforcement Directorate to her nephew and Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is accused in the school jobs scam as well as in another case related to cow smuggling, and termed it as a bid to “browbeat a youth leader”.

“This is political vendetta. Summoning Abhishek is unnecessary harassment and this could boomerang. There is nothing against me. They want to damage the power of our youth wing. But the youth in Bengal will not tolerate it,” Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress chief, who has been engaged in a war of words with the Governor CV Ananda Bose over various issues, however, made light of the letter he sent her, saying he had simply sent her “best wishes for the upcoming foreign trip. I cannot spill the contents of a personal letter as it is confidential”.

On Tuesday, Ms Banerjee is beginning a visit to Dubai and Spain to seek investments.

“I am going abroad after five years since no permission was given to me for foreign travels, though I had several invitations,” she said.

Describing Ms Banerjee’s allegation of “vendetta politics” on ED summons to Abhishek Banerjee as “baseless”, the BJP wondered whether “creating obstacles in free and fair probe” is part of the political agenda of the ruling party in the state.

“Will the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation take permission from the Chief Minister and Abhishek Banerjee before summoning TMC leaders accused in various graft cases? Is creating obstacles in free and fair probe part of TMC’s political agenda when its leaders are summoned by the ED and the CBI,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

New Delhi:

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has posted a dramatic video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading G20 dignitaries, including United States President Joe Biden and the PMs of Japan, Fumi Kishida, and the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, as well as the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat complex on a rain-drenched Sunday morning.

“Honoring Gandhiji’s legacy at Rajghat: Where Diversity Meets Peace!” Mr Gadkari wrote on X.

In the video shared by Mr Gadkari the Prime Minister is seen receiving global leaders wearing an ‘angvastram’, or stole, into which an image of the Sabarmati Ashram – which was Mahatma Gandhi’s home from 1917 to 1930 and one of the centres of India’s freedom struggle – was woven.

PM Modi can be seen explaining the ashram’s significance and then leads the dignitaries, each of whom was given one of an ‘angvastram’, down the path at Rajghat and towards the Gandhi memorial.

Honoring Gandhi Ji’s Legacy at Rajghat: Where Diversity Meets Peace!#G20India#G20India2023#G20SummitDelhi@narendramodi@g20orgpic.twitter.com/bCDQq0zXjf

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) September 10, 2023

The memorial itself was decorated with fresh flowers and there were wreaths positioned all around, with each country’s name attached. The G20 leaders and the PM then paid tribute to Gandhi.

Some, like Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canada PM Justin Trudeau, were barefoot despite the rain. Others, like Biden and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – who takes over the G-20’s rotational presidency from India – were among those wearing white slippers, or overshoes.

READ | Unexpected Consensus, Symbolism, A Barefoot Walk: G20 Moments In India

PM Modi later hailed Gandhi as a “beacon of service, compassion and non-violence” and wrote that his “timeless ideals guide our collective vision for a harmonious, inclusive and prosperous global future.”

The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi reverberate globally. pic.twitter.com/J4Ko3IXpe4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2023

He also shared another video – of leaders signing on the ‘Peace Wall’ at the ‘Leaders’ Lounge’ – and posted that, “The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi reverberate globally.”

Nitin Gadkari To NDTV

Meanwhile, earlier today Mr Gadkari, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, spoke about the importance of biofuels in reducing world pollution and making India a carbon-neutral nation. The Global Biofuels Alliance was launched by PM Modi at the G20 in Delhi on Saturday, at which time the PM had called on other nations to join and set a global target of blending 20 per cent ethanol with petrol.

READ | “Biofuels Alliance Will Reduce World Pollution”: Nitin Gadkari To NDTV

“The Biofuels Alliance is a historic event that will help us reduce world pollution in a major way,” Mr Gadkari said. “Using ethanol in petrol is a major achievement, and it will be especially helpful for farmers, who can now sell their surplus crop to fuel stations.”

With input from agencies

New Delhi:

To avert any waterlogging or flooding situation during the G20 Summit, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) will deploy four heavy-duty Mobile Dewatering Trucks, Raj Niwas officials said on Monday.

The equipment, specially borrowed from Ahmedabad, have been deployed at ITPO and Raj Ghat to avert any waterlogging or flooding-related eventuality if it rains in the national capital during the G20 Summit, they said.

The G20 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to be held from September 9-10 at a newly built international convention and exhibition centre — Bharat Mandapam — at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Vehicles equipped with high-capacity suction pumps have been brought in by DFS to deal with any contingency like the one recently, where the area in and around the Raj Ghat and ITPO were submerged after heavy rains, the officials said.

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena, during his review meetings in the run-up to the summit, had repeatedly stressed putting in place a comprehensive and foolproof contingency plan in and around the G20 venues to deal with waterlogging or flooding situations in the city, in case it rains heavily during the event.

On Sunday, the LG accompanied the Principal Secretary to the PM P K Mishra and inspected these vehicles stationed at ITPO.

Two such vehicles each have been deployed at Raj Ghat and ITPO and can be moved anywhere as per the requirement, the officials said.

Each of these vehicles is capable of high-speed water suction at the rate of 10,000 litres per minute from a radius of 15 metres, they said, adding that once completely loaded with fuel, these vehicles can operate for 24 hours continuously.

These diesel-run vehicles are equipped with BS-VI engines of 60 BHP capacity at 1500 RPM and are minimally polluting, both in terms of emission and noise pollution and being run at a noise level of 85 dBA at 7m, they added.

Eventually, DFS will be procuring such vehicles on a permanent basis.

In an interview with PTI on Saturday, Mr Saxena said a multi-agency contingency plan will be activated if there is a heavy downpour during the summit.

Sixty heavy-duty mobile pumping sets will be deployed around the Pragati Maidan, the venue for the event, he said.

Areas prone to waterlogging have been taken care of with the construction of drains and underground storage tanks, he said.

“All arrangements are in place and we are prepared to handle any situation,” he said.

“Agencies like the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), PWD (Public Works Department) and Flood and Irrigation Department have been put on alert to handle any situation. Every detail has been minutely planned and arrangements made,” Mr Saxena said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)