The Bengal chief minister on Friday asked the Opposition to suggest ways to cut down the state government’s expenditure — a request that captured an attempt to embarrass her detractors by highlighting that the expenditure was made on public welfare.

Mamata Banerjee told Opposition MLAs to submit their suggestions when Protima Rajak, the Congress legislator of Burwan in Murshidabad, urged transport minister Suvendu Adhikari to allow patients undergoing dialysis to travel free of cost in state buses like the facility extended to cancer patients.

She reacted immediately and said her government was spending heavily on public welfare but everything could not be given free of cost. “Everything cannot come for free. How much more do you all want?” she asked.

Mamata then started explaining how her government spent on public welfare. “Our government is already running schemes like Kanyashree, Sabuj Sathi and Khadya Sathi to serve common people. We even give Rs 2,000 as one time assistance to members of all communities for last rites. We do all these after we had to spend Rs 55,000 crore annually to repay past loans,” she said.

The chief minister went on saying that the government had already allowed free treatment at all state-run hospitals and for that, the exchequer had to take a burden of Rs 1,300 crore annually and now it was getting tough to take further burden. “You are making some suggestions. That’s fine. We wish to provide all kind of services free of cost to people. But where will we get money? Why don’t you suggest ways to save money?” the chief minister said.

The suggestions, however, started coming in almost immediately. The chief opposition whip and Congress MLA from Behrampore, Manoj Chakraborty, pointed out some ways to cut down the expenditure. “Stop doing carnivals, khela and melas. You can save crores. The government is spending thousands of crores on advertisement. You can also curtail it,” he suggested.

The chief minister asked him to give his points in writing apparently to put an end to the discussion.

Later in the day, Chakraborty asked whether the chief minister was serious about curtailing the government expenditure. “If the chief minister is trying to curtail the expenditure, she should not entertain the recommendations of the entitlement committee of the Assembly to enhance the daily allowance of ministers and MLAs. Besides, she should take steps to stop unnecessary expenditure of giving doles to clubs,” said Chakraborty.

Left legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “In order to cut down expenditure , the chief minister should first stop publishing advertisements almost everyday. Besides, she should end district review meetings and public distribution programmes, which actually turn into the ruling party’s programme at the expenditure of state exchequer.”