Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday charged the TMC government with "doublespeak", as he claimed that the ruling dispensation in the state, which had targeted the Centre over divestment of PSUs, is now selling off profitable units.
Mr Adhikari, during a press meet on Assembly premises, said the state government sold off Metro Dairy to Keventer group, and Haldia Petrochemical to Chatterjee group.
"The TMC government is privatizing many profitable companies. It gave its stakes to corporate groups.
"Industries minister Partha Chatterjee, however, made references to the Centre''s move to divest PSU stakes during his speech for two days in the assembly, notwithstanding the fact that state budget was the issue at hand. This exposes TMC's doublespeak," the BJP MLA, who crossed over to the BJP from the TMC ahead of assembly polls, said.
Asked why he did not protest against the TMC's policies, when he was a part of the Mamata Banerjee-led government, Mr Adhikari shot back, "I won't give any explanation. Don't you leave one job for another?"
He claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was trying to implicate him in a false case.
"The CM is yet to accept her defeat in Nandigram. If she wants, I can voluntarily walk into jail for six months. Will that satisfy her ego?" the legislator maintained.
Earlier in the day, during the Assembly session, Mr Adhikari pointed out that CAG report has not been tabled since 2017-18, and audit documents of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) since 2012-13.
"We don't know why the CAG reports were not tabled. Shouldn't the assembly be taken into confidence?" he stated.
The BJP leader, however, appreciated the state government's move to waive road tax for passenger transport vehicles, and said he would always welcome such initiatives, rising above political differences.
Senior TMC leader and industries minister Partha Chatterjee, on his part, said West Bengal is the only state in the country to have weathered twin blows of cyclone and COVID-19 for two years in a row.
"It is one thing to make a statement and another to implement what has been said. There lies the difference... We try and ensure that our development work benefits all sections of the society."
Mr Chatterjee further said that several higher educational institutes have come up in the state over the last 10 years, reversing the trend of migration among students. Also, every district now has a super-speciality hospital, he noted.
"We are slowly including all sections of people in our development trajectory. Our government led by Mamata Banerjee believes in inclusive growth," the minister said.
The Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill were passed in the assembly during the day, with support from ruling party members as BJP legislators watched silently.
Later, however, the saffron party MLAs staged a walkout after TMC leader Mukul Roy, who had won the assembly polls on a BJP ticket and switched over to the ruling camp last month, was appointed the chairman of Public Accounts Committee in the House by Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay.
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