Karandighi/Itahar, May 1 (PTI) Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio broadcast and said while its 100th episode was heralded with great fanfare, the poor masses of Bengal were deprived of Central funds under the 100-day job scheme.
In the 100th episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’, Modi on Sunday said the broadcast filled the “emptiness” he felt after coming to Delhi in 2014 and described it as an expression of the feelings of crores of Indians which has ensured he is never cut-off from people.
“On the one hand, the prime minister is busy conducting the 100th episode of the Mann ki Baat programme, and the Centre, out of vendetta, has stopped the funds due to Bengal. Can I request the Prime Minister for an episode of Mann Ki Baat over why the Centre halted Bengal’s funds? He should tell the people why Bengal is being treated in this manner,” he said.
“They are depriving the poor people of West Bengal by denying MGNREGA funds to the state. It (BJP) is trying to punish the state’s people for the party’s defeat in the assembly poll in 2021. It is yet to accept the defeat,” he said.
While addressing a rally at Karandighi in Uttar Dinajpur district as part of the ‘Trinamool-eh Nabajowar’ (new wave in Trinamool) mass outreach campaign, the TMC national general secretary criticised BJP MPs from West Bengal for allegedly being party to a conspiracy in withholding the dues of the state.
“People are not getting roti and bhaat (rice), while the PM is conducting the Mann ki Baat programme. Lakhs of poor people across the state are affected due to non-payment of dues by the Centre. West Bengal is the only state to which funds have been stopped. The MPs and MLAs of the BJP from the state are also part of this conspiracy to withhold funds,” he said.
While addressing another rally at Itahar in the same district, Banerjee accused the Centre of withholding funds under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY).
“For PMAY, a list of 11.36 lakh beneficiaries has been sent to the Centre. However, the funds have not been released yet. The Centre is supposed to bear 60 per cent of the total cost (of the scheme), and the state is responsible for 40 per cent. We are ready with our 40 per cent share. However, the Centre is unwilling to release its share,” he alleged.
Banerjee claimed that the BJP’s promises of two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every Indian during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls are yet to see the light of the day.
“The BJP had promised two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh in every account in 2014. How many of you have received it? Not a single person here has received it. Demonetisation was done to stop flow of black money in India. But what happened after that? According to reports, black money has increased in the Indian market,” he said.
Mocking BJP’s slogan of “Acche Din”, the TMC MP wondered whether the spiralling LPG and fuel prices are a reflection of the ‘good days’ that the saffron camp had promised.
Banerjee’s remark drew sharp reactions from the BJP, which dubbed the allegations baseless.
“The BJP has no role in stopping funds. The TMC has a habit of levelling baseless allegations. The people of the state disagree with such canards spread by the TMC,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said. PTI PNT RG NN NN
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