TMC-Centre Spar Over 'Minister's Appointment' During Protest Over 'Blocked MGNREGA Dues' In Delhi

Union Minister Sadhvi Jyoti said said she kept waiting at her office but the TMC delegation, led by party leader Abhishek Banerjee, did not show up as they were afraid their “truth will be exposed”.

New Delhi: A day after a Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation, led by party leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti failed to meet them despite a scheduled appointment, MoS Jyoti said she kept waiting for the TMC MPs for 2.5 hours but none of them showed up as they were afraid their “truth will be exposed”.

Taking to X, the Union Minister wrote, “Today 02:30 hours was wasted. I left the office while waiting for the Trinamool MPs. According to information, the delegation of Trinamool MPs and Bengal ministers had taken an appointment in the office at 06:00.”

Speaking to news agency ANI, the minister said she kept waiting at her office since 6.30pm but none of the TMC leaders showed up.

“The TMC leaders have been alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has not released the MGNREGA funds to West Bengal. The TMC MPs are claiming that I did not meet them, but I kept waiting for 2.5 hours. They did not come to my office for a face-to-face conversation as they were afraid that their truth would have been exposed,” MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti told ANI.

Weighing in on the issue, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said the Centre has given over Rs 2 crore as part of the MGNREGA funds and the TMC leaders did not meet MoS Jyoti as they did not want this “truth to be exposed”.

“MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti kept waiting till 8:30 pm in the Krishi Ministry but no MP or minister came to meet her...In Bengal, under Mamata Banerjee's government, we have given more than Rs 2 lakh crores. They (TMC leaders) have misbehaved with MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and now they're trying to cover up the matter,” ANI quoted Singh as saying.

However, refuting MoS Jyoti’s claim that she had to wait for 2.5 hours, TMC leader Shashi Panja said her party leaders were asked to wait for four hours and were later informed that the minister had left.

Speaking to PTI, she said, “The meeting with MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti from the panchayat department was scheduled for 6pm. However, our MPs and TMC ministers had to wait for four hours, only to be informed suddenly that she had left. It's an important issue that requires a discussion with her.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the TMC leaders protesting inside Krishi Bhavan in Delhi were briefly detained by police after they staged a sit-in alleging that MoS Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti failed to meet them despite a scheduled appointment.