Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday told the Narendra Modi government to either release Bengal's long-frozen development funds or quit.
“Hoy taka dao, noile godi chharo. Hoy taka din, noy biday nin (Quit if you can't give us our dues)," Mamata said while speaking at a programme at the Parade Ground in Alipurduar district where she gave out government benefits.
Mamata, who had said at Bagdogra on Saturday that she had sought an appointment with Modi next week, iterated that she hoped to meet the Prime Minister during her upcoming Delhi visit.
"I hope he gives us an appointment. Altogether, the central government has held back funds to the tune of Rs 1.15 lakh crore. This is a reprehensible act as by halting the sanctioning of funds for Bengal, they are deterring development work in the state. Just imagine, had we got the funds how much more development we could have done in the districts,” the chief minister said.
She asserted that the Centre had held back funds under the 100-day rural job scheme MGNREGA and the rural housing and road projects. Mamata had earlier said she had already met Modi three times over the held-up funds, the comment coming after Union rural development minister Giriraj Singh suggested in Parliament that she take up the issue with the Prime Minister.
“BJP leaders simply take credit ahead of elections. They claim credit for the drinking water supply scheme to households, but it is the state that provides land and carries out the work. The Centre collects GST from Bengal but doesn’t pay us our due share,” Mamata said on Sunday.
She assured farmers that her government would always support them. The BJP had earlier this week announced plans for statewide protests to highlight farmers' woes.
Over the past few days, state BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, have been alleging that farmers in some southern districts have suffered huge losses as the administration failed to alert them to the possibility of heavy rain owing to Cyclone Michaung so that they could harvest their produce in advance.
“The affected farmers will get compensation under the crop insurance scheme. Also, an instalment of the financial assistance of Rs 5,000 we give to farmers annually will reach 1.20 crore peasants of Bengal on December 12. In Alipurduar, around 90,000 farmers will get the money,” the chief minister said.
Mamata accused the BJP of making hollow promises.
“They had announced that the closed tea gardens would reopen but did nothing. Instead, we reopened the gardens. They only indulge in dalali (influencing people to vote) ahead of elections. We, on the other hand, believe in work and the welfare of people,” she said.
