Kolkata, March 25 (IANS) Amit Malviya, BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, on Tuesday, refuted the claims made by the Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on non-release of funds to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In a statement that he had posted on his official X account, Malviya had claimed that the Union government was forced to withhold funds under the MGNREGA scheme for West Bengal due to rampant corruption and gross mismanagement on the part of the state government.

"Multiple central teams visited four districts -- Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Darjeeling, and Malda -- in 2019 and 2021 to assess the implementation of the scheme. These teams uncovered widespread irregularities and financial misappropriation, leading to the recommendation of recovery from corrupt officials and Panchayati Raj institution functionaries involved in the malpractices," the BJP leader said in the statement.

He also claimed that the state government failed to take action against the errant officials or take any initiative in recovering the embezzled funds despite repeated direction from the Union government.

BJP leader Malviya added that the Union government was compelled to decide to withhold funds under the scheme to the state government and accordingly, an order to stop the funds was issued on March 9, 2022.

Malviya said that the decision to withdraw the funds was taken as per provisions under Section 27 of the MGNREGA Act, 2005, which empowers the Union government to directions as it may consider necessary to the state government for the effective implementation of the provisions of this Act and also order stoppage of the release of funds in case of improper utilisation of funds.

Claiming that CM Mamata Banerjee alone is responsible for such a situation, Malviya claimed that the state government had failed to ensure transparency, allowing corruption to flourish at the cost of poor people and marginalised workers who depend on MGNREGA for their livelihood.

"The responsibility for this fund stoppage lies squarely on her (CM Mamata Banerjee) administration, which prioritises political cover-ups over the welfare of the people. The funds will only be restored once West Bengal fully complies with corrective measures, recovers misappropriated money, and holds guilty officials accountable," the BJP leader claimed.