Kolkata, Apr 5 (PTI) Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of blocking the state’s dues for the past five years to make the poor people of West Bengal starve for voting the TMC to power in successive assembly polls.
Addressing an election rally at Raina in Purba Bardhaman district in support of the party’s candidate Mandira Dolui, the TMC national general secretary said that if he is not speaking the truth, let the BJP counter him with proof and send him to jail.
“The Centre has not released more than Rs 1 lakh crore dues for the state’s projects. It has done this to make the poor people of West Bengal starve, as they had voted the TMC to power in successive assembly polls,” Banerjee said.
However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced the challenge head-on and ran schemes like ‘Karmashree’ for rural jobs, ‘Banglar Bari’ for housing and drinking water supply projects with the state’s own resources, said the Diamond Harbour MP, the de facto number two in the TMC, which seeks to come to power for the fourth straight term.
“The TMC wants a smile on your face, while Modi wants to see tears in your eyes as you had rejected the BJP in successive polls. Give the anti-Bengal party a befitting reply to such a conspiracy to make you starve,” he said.
Listing the pro-people initiatives by the Mamata Banerjee government, Abhishek Banerjee said 2.4 crore women of Bengal are getting money every month under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme, and the project will continue.
“In two years, 32 lakh people have been given houses under the Banglar Bari scheme following the blocking of funds under the Centre’s PM Awas Yojana to our state. In the next 5 years, our government will ensure all underprivileged persons in the state have a roof over their head,” he said.
Banerjee said, “I challenge the BJP to put me in jail if I lie. The BJP is not ready to come for a public debate face-to-face at any place of their choice. I have been repeatedly saying this, but they are scared to face the truth,” he said.
Banerjee accused the BJP of not doing enough to facilitate the export of ‘Gobindo Bhog’, a unique type of rice grown in Purba Bardhaman district, though the grain has demand outside.
On the LPG crisis, he charged the Centre with aggravating the situation, forcing the common man to shell out Rs 2500-3000 to buy one cylinder — already priced at Rs 1,000 — and “making tall claims about mitigating the situation”.
“From Rs 400 in 2014, their policy led to the escalation of the LPG price to Rs 1,000. But Modi-ji has no concern. The petrol price has soared from Rs 50 a litre to Rs 100 and will skyrocket after the assembly polls. Mark my words,” he said.
The TMC leader assured the people that after coming to power for the fourth time, the government will set up cold storages to preserve potatoes and other agri-products in the agrarian belt. PTI SUS NN
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