Mamata skips Niti meet to protest Centre's ‘withholding of Bengal's dues'
Kolkata: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya skipped the 10th governing council meeting of Niti Aayog in Delhi on Saturday "as a mark of protest against the deprivation of Bengal", Trinamool said.
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Former Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra, now a special adviser to the CM on finance, was also absent. He had previously represented Bengal at such meetings.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, pointing to "the central govt's withholding of funds owed to Bengal", said the dues had been kept pending for the past couple of years. The PM "speaks about working in unison but when it comes to Bengal, Centre does not provide the dues", he added.
Ghosh was speaking at a presser at Trinamool Bhavan.
The CM had written "innumerable letters to the PM for the release of funds", Ghosh said, adding that "it is time to release Bengal's dues", which stood at over Rs 1.7 lakh crore.
Highlighting the "central govt's neglect towards Bengal" as one of the reasons for Banerjee's absence at the Niti meet, Ghosh said: "The PM talks about working together with all states… taxes are collected from Bengal but the state's dues for 100-days' work are not released."
He said the Bengal CM had provided Rs 37,000 crore to 5.9 million job card holders entirely from the state's coffers. "The central govt hasn't released funds for 1.2 million housing units, which Mamata Banerjee is also funding from Bengal's exchequer," he said.
Last July, CM Banerjee had staged a walkout from the Niti meeting, alleging she was "humiliated" and that her "microphone was disconnected" after she slammed Union Budget 2024 about five minutes into her address.
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The CM had said that even after being allowed to speak for 5 minutes, "there was a constant ringing sound, asking me to stop midway, and I had to stop".
It stirred a nationwide anti-BJP issue, which was supported by other opposition leaders.
Meanwhile, state minister for social welfare, industries and commerce and women and child welfare, Shashi Panja, demanded that Centre clear Bengal's dues immediately. "BJP should say why Bengal is deprived. They have no contribution to the development of Bengal. They are always neglecting Bengal and insulting Bengal. BJP MLAs are not even present during assembly sessions; they only boycott discussions. From Awas Yojana to rural roads, all funds have been blocked by Centre, and the state is now funding the housing scheme.
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Panja also targeted Centre over the lack of security for tourists in Pahalgam even as she branded BJP for promoting hate politics. "BJP should stop spreading fake narratives," she said.
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