On 22 July 2020 AIARLA started an indefinite dharna at the Hargaon Block to demand payment of MNREGA arrears to 11 workers at Jalalipur village in Sitapur District in UP. On the first day, 3 women—Chhatrani, Phulmati and Pushpa—sat on dharna accompanied by Comrade Ramsanehi Verma and Pramod Kumar. On the one hand the Modi-Yogi governments are making tall claims that workers are being given work under MNREGA; on the other hand the ground reality is something else. Workers have been running from pillar to post for the past one month for getting work and due wages. They are constrained to hold dharna protests even to get the wages due to them.
The dharna was continued on subsequent days by Chhatra Pal, Manoj Kumar and Asharfi Lal. On the fifth day the Block officials were forced to sit up and take notice. After the intervention of the BDO the Pradhan was finally forced to pay the workers their wages. The Gram Panchayat officer came to the dharna spot and gave an advance copy of the payment receipt, after which the dharna was ended. Comrade Ramsanehi Verma said that after five days of continuous struggle the workers have won a little victory against the corrupt Pradhan-officials nexus.
