Breaking party line, Mithun likens ‘Lakshmir Bhandar' to alms; TMC hits back
2
Kolkata/Bankura: Taking 'Lakshmir Bhandar' funds was akin to accepting alms, actor-turned neta
Mithun chakraborty
told
BJP
workers at an organisational meet in Bankura on Wednesday. Chakraborty's comment struck a discordant note with the state opposition, including his own party, clamping down on criticism against the state govt scheme.
"We will work with our heads high and not provide any alms. 'Amader Para Amader Samadhan' and 'Lakshmir Bhandar' are nothing but alms offered by state govt. BJP doesn't work that way," Chakraborty said. In Bengal, over 2.5 crore women avail themselves of the monthly scheme. On the other hand, over 30 lakh people have already been to Amader Para Amader Samadhan camps.
Reacting sharply to Chakraborty's comment,
TMC
spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "If he (Chakraborty) has the power, then let him ask Bengal BJP leadership to instruct its netas and workers not to take such alms."
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During campaigning for 2024 LS polls, BJP, realising the impact of Lakshmir Bhandar, had assured people of not discontinuing the scheme. In fact, at a rally in May last year, Union home minister Amit Shah assured people that the allocation under Lakshmir Bhandar would be increased by Rs 100 per month if BJP formed govt in the state.
In subsequent state polls, BJP replicated the Lakshmir Bhandar model in MP, Maharashtra, Odisha and Haryana to achieve electoral successes.
The RSS, in its organisational publication 'Swastika', said that Bengal BJP netas needed to understand TMC's politics and assess Mamata Banerjee's strength beyond welfare schemes. Earlier last year, RSS also said that the 2026 assembly polls would be an acid test for Bengal BJP.
The CPM leadership too had to rein in its party netas from criticising Lakshmir Bhandar after the party was routed in the 2021 assembly polls.
District BJP netas, however, tried to justify Chakraborty's comments on Wednesday and said the govt was offering "alms" and "depriving people of their rights".
Mithun, Kunal exchange notices: BJP neta Mithun Chakraborty and Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh have served legal notices to each other. While Chakraborty asked Ghosh to publicly retract his statements on the former's alleged links with Ponzi firms, Ghosh told Chakraborty to publicly retract his statements demeaning the TMC neta.
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