State finance minister Amit Mitra on Sunday rebutted the recent claim of Union home minister Amit Shah that the Narendra Modi government during its tenure had allocated Rs 3.59 lakh crore to Bengal.

Mitra said that the allocation to central schemes and centrally sponsored schemes in Bengal stood at Rs 113,617 crore, less than one-third of what Shah had claimed, from 2014-15 to 2019-20.

In a political rally last week in South 24-Parganas, Shah accused chief minister and Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek and “his goons” of siphoning the entire sum given by the Modi government.

Mitra challenged Shah to join in a debate with him on the numbers. “I do not know from where he (Shah) got the numbers. He is spreading lies with political intent,” Mitra said.

Amit Shah File picture

The state finance minister further added: “The money does not come from Modiji. The fact is that the Centre collects taxes from all states and what they are giving from those funds is expected in a federalist polity. On top of that, the figure is being inflated…I challenge him (Shah) to join me in a debate (over the numbers).”

The Centre collects tax from the state in the form of direct (income tax) and indirect taxes (GST, customs duty, among others). According to the 15th Finance Commission formula, 42 per cent of the central collection is earmarked as part of devolution to the states.

In contrast, Bengal has spent over Rs 3.02 lakh crore of its own funds in various schemes over the same period, Mitra said.

“We have spent our fund on our strength, three times more than they have allocated,” the minister added.

The state spent over Rs 4.1 lakh crore as salaries and wages in the same period, which Mitra argued created a multiplier effect in the economy by boosting demand.

“Put together, the state has spent over Rs 7 lakh crore on our (its) own strength without taking recourse to the Centre in six years, compared to the allocation of Rs 1.13 lakh crore by the Centre,” he said.

Shah in the rally had said that during Congress rule, it sent “Rs 1 lakh 32 thousand crores in five years to Bengal”. “The Narendra Modi government has sent Rs 3 lakh 59 thousand crores to Bengal...But did it reach your houses?...Where did it go? This bhaipo (Abhishek) and his goons ate it all. But you don’t worry. BJP will come to power and investigate these matters...Whoever has eaten people’s money will be sent to jail by the BJP government...,” Shah said.