The Trinamul Congress has said if the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had released funds for development schemes in the state, the damage caused by the storm to the life and properties in north Bengal on Sunday would have been minimal.

The attack on the Modi dispensation was led by Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee who reached here on Monday afternoon. He said if the Centre had released funds for the Awas Yojana (housing scheme), people who lost their lives, suffered injuries and turned homeless in a span of a few minutes would have concrete roofs above their heads.

“In such a case, the extent of the damage would have been less. It is because of the Centre that hundreds of people have become homeless. The natural disaster has again brought to focus the consequences of the central government’s apathetic attitude towards Bengal,” said Abhishek.

Before the storm hit the region where the general election would be held in eight constituencies between April 19 and May 7, Trinamul and the BJP were drawing up their campaign plans by lining up public meetings of prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

However, the storm changed the political discourse, particularly because Mamata reached the affected areas from Calcutta within eight hours of the disaster. She visited the hospital where the injured were being treated and the areas where houses were pummeled and trees uprooted. The chief minister met the families of the deceased in Jalpaiguri and her visit continued till 2am on Monday.

During the day, Mamata toured the affected villages in the Alipurduar district.

However, the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday sought to mock the chief minister’s visit. “She was here early for photo ops,” Adhikari said on Monday.

Abhishek tossed a counter question at the BJP.

“Those who are making such comments should answer why Sukanta Majumdar (state BJP president) didn’t come here last night. He was in Balurghat, which is only a four-and-a-half-hour journey (from affected areas). The chief minister travelled 620 kilometres from Kalighat and reached here,” the Diamond Harbour MP said.

“The Prime Minister could have taken the same approach. He is very camera friendly and over the past 10 years, his party has been running on publicity stunts,” added Abhishek.

He said after Mamata Banerjee’s party had been voted back to power in Bengal for the third consecutive time, the Centre had not paid a single penny for development schemes, including housing, in the state.

“The Prime Minister was in Siliguri last month and claimed that his government had paid Rs 44,000 crore to Bengal. Let me reassert that the BJP should come up with a white paper and prove that it has paid the state government a single penny after the 2021 Assembly polls for the welfare schemes,” the Trinamul leader said.

He slammed former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh’s comment that the storm heralded the BJP’s political ascent in Bengal.

“This shows that BJP leaders lack the minimum courtesy and sympathy.
Instead of standing by the affected people, he is scoffing at the disaster,” said
Abhishek.

Suvendu Adhikari, who surveyed the damage caused by the disaster on Monday, said: “The central government has provided funds for the housing scheme. However, genuine beneficiaries who were supposed to get concrete houses were deprived of the same by the Trinamul government which siphoned off the funds. The Trinamul leaders should clarify why poor people have to live in huts even today.”