Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday tore into the first budget of the third Narendra Modi government, calling it directionless, anti-people and anti-poor with “no vision, and only political mission”.

Jeering at the BJP and attacking its allies — over their majority mark manoeuvres allegedly dictating terms of the budget, the Bengal chief minister demanded answers on the “total deprivation” of Bengal.

“The budget is anti-people, anti-poor.... They have made this budget only to satisfy one party’s (the BJP’s) vested interests. This is a politically biased budget,” she said.

“This budget is totally directionless, anti-people. It has no vision. It only has a political mission,” she added while issuing a statement in her chamber at the Assembly. “I see no light. Only dark, dark, and dark.”

Mamata said she was yet to go through the fine print of the budget. She said Abhishek Banerjee would lead the Trinamool Congress in responding to the budget in Parliament.

“As far as I have heard, from the media and others, I have understood that Bengal has been totally neglected. Bengal doesn’t seek anybody’s mercy, but if the dignity of Bengal is toyed with, its people will raise a gorjon (roar), they will not let it pass,” she said.

Mamata once again accused the third Modi government of being cobbled together by the lure of pelf, as the drastically weakened BJP is forced to depend on allies widely perceived as unreliable.

“Never before had I seen that a (Union) government engaged in a share scam, and announced economic packages, using only money and not giving any (major) ministry or the Speaker’s post.... I will not blame the government alone,” she said.

“Why did the parties accept it? They are also involved. I don’t have any problem with them allocating funds for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar,” she added.

“But nobody cannot discriminate against anyone while providing for another. The law cannot be discriminatory.... Bengal is powerful on its own. It is a very large state, with around 11.5 crore people.”

Mamata said the Centre had withheld over ₹1.71 lakh crore due to Bengal and neglected the MGNREGA. She said there was opacity in the promise of homes under the PMAY, the poor in general were being de-prioritised and the Centre could not check price rises.

“No subsidy has been given on food, but they are there for gold and silver.... They only do what benefits them,” she said.

“I noticed that the inflation has increased. What they have claimed is wrong... they have not paid attention to this front. This is why the prices of daily commodities have increased,” she added.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool had dismissed the budget as an “Andhra-Bihar Budget”.

“You have seen how Bengal has consistently been deprived by this Union government. Has there been any positive on account of the 12 BJP MPs elected from Bengal?” asked Abhishek on the Parliament premises.

Referring to leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s contentious statement last week that Modi’s “sabka sath, sabka vikas (with everyone, development for everyone)” slogan should be replaced by “jo hamare sath, hum unkey sath (with those who are with us)”, Abhishek said: “What he said was proved today.”

“Only to save their government, they have allocated special packages for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. We don’t have any problem... but why should Bengal be deprived?” the Diamond Harbour MP asked. “Bengal has always led from the front, in the country’s freedom struggle. But Bengal has also been deprived, and its people will surely give a befitting reply again.”

In a social media post later, Abhishek wrote: “This BUDGET is a complete failure with ZERO WARRANTY, presented by a FAILED FINANCE MINISTER OF A FAILED GOVERNMENT.”

“Instead of tackling urgent issues like unemployment, rising prices and growing inflation, the BJP has crafted a budget to bribe its coalition partners and buy time before the government IMPLODES!” he added.

Niti Aayog meet

Asked whether she would raise Bengal’s deprivation at the Niti Aayog meeting she was likely to attend this week, the chief minister said she would not speak from a pre-written speech that the Centre expected to see before the exercise.

“Whatever I will speak, I will do so spontaneously. Not all speakers might want to deliver a pre-written speech. But they wanted to see a written speech before the meeting,” she said.

“Whatever is already pending, we are sending. But what I want to speak, that I will speak at the time of the meeting,” added Mamata.