A day after beefing up support for beef-eaters and condemning Delhi Police for “dictating the food habits of people”, Bengal Chief Minister on Thursday launched a frontal attack on the Central Government for stalling her State’s growth.
“The Centre is not giving us the funds it promised for developing the backward regions,” Banerjee told a gathering at a State Government programme organised at Gopiballabhpur in Jangalmahl.
Attacking the Centre for not fulfilling its promise she said “the Centre is not doing us any favour by giving us funds when it does so. It only returns the money we send them from our own earning” clearly setting the tone for the ruling Trinamool Congress’ line of attack in the run up to the State Assembly elections early next year.
Her attacks against the Centre came a day after she leveled similar charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying just a few months ago he had promised her funds for the growth of backward areas but went back on that promise.
“How can a Prime Minister go back on his wordsIJ” She asked saying “a few months back he had promised me to clear Rs3,000 crore for the development of backward areas but that fund has not come till now.”
Reminding the Centre of its duties she said “they think that they are doing a favour by clearing funds. But that is not true. They are giving us what is due to us. They give us back the money we give them as revenue.”
lambasting the earlier left Front Government for leaving back a huge debt burden on the present Government she said “while the left left a huge debt burden we have to pay Rs38,000 crore every year for that. This is unjustified.”
Claiming that her State was on the top of “clean India” projects she said “Bengal was only showing the way on how to implement promises.” The Chief Minister who was on a two-day tour of Jangalmahal once a dreaded Maoist zone said “Jangalmahal is today smiling and peace has returned there making it an example before the whole world to see.”
She said “we believe in development and have to continue that even if the Centre does not cooperate.” The Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated 28 projects and laid foundation stone of 12 new ones.
Claiming that her State was rapidly progressing she said the growth of Bengal’s Gross State Domestic Product was higher than the national GDP average adding in the past few years “we have started 13 universities, polytechnic colleges and it is in every district, introduced fair price medicine shops and social projects like the Kanyashree.”
Claiming that already 3.2 crore people were getting Rs2 a kg rice she announced that about 3 crore people will soon get rice at Rs3 a kg.