With the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet fighting issues like corruption and violence with its back against the wall the Trinamool Congress is planning to change tack a bit and come back at the BJP Government making “Central deprivation of Bengal” its main poll plank in the next year’s general elections, sources in the party on Monday said.
In an apparent view to convey her decision to the party rank and file the Chief Minister has called an organizational meeting on November 24 whence she will brief her leaders about the party’s line of campaign.
“The Centre is depriving Bengal by way of not clearing its dues to the tune of several thousand crores ... Our party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee led a team of MPs and ministers to Delhi before the Durga Pujas but the minister concerned refused to meet him ... there is no way but to intensify the movement against central deprivation of Bengal and take this movement to the grassroots,” TMC State vice president Jayprakash Majumdar said.
Banerjee who wants to commence the election campaign well in advance, is likely to ask the district leaders to take the party’s message on Centre’s treatment of Bengal to every doorstep. “Rs 5,000 crore alone is due on account of 100-days’ work scheme ... it is illegal to take someone’s labour without paying him and the Centre is doing exactly that ... the people will be told about what Narendra Modi Government is doing at the instance of the Bengal BJP leaders,” the TMC leader said.
Earlier party number two Abhishek Banerjee accused the Centre of holding the MNREGA funds and said “we will force the Centre to release the funds as it is not their money but the money of the people of Bengal.”
The Chief Minister said that “the BJP Government takes away the GST from the State but does not give our share back to us ... we are not begging for funds ... we are asking for our rightful dues ... and if the Centre does not release it we know how to squeeze it out of them.”
The TMC has also been asking for the funds allegedly held by the Centre under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme. “Neither they have given us the funds under MNREGA, nor they are giving us the money for road construction, housing ... whereas they are clearing those funds
to the BJP-ruled States,” Banerjee earlier said.
Meanwhile, in response to the State Government’s repeated demand for the clearance of held up funds the Centre has written back to the State asking for fresh action taken reports on PM Awas scheme.
Following a random sampling of the previous reports sent in this regard by the State Government the Centre has in its latest letter to the State demanded fresh ATR for three districts of Nadia, Kalimpong and South 24 Parganas.
According to sources “the Centre has found inconsistency in some of these reports sent by the State and has directed the State to send fresh reports in 15 days’ time,” a State official said adding the report will have to be sent within 15 days of receipt.