West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee speaks during the inauguration of newly constructed flyover in Kolkata on Sunday. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow to seek an interest waiver on the repayment of a debt.
"We have long been pursuing, a waiver of the huge debt burden left upon us by the previous government in West Bengal, with the Centre. We have waited for more than three-and-a-half years with no results," the Chief Minister said.
She said the deduction of about Rs 28,000 crore every year towards repayment of loans taken by the previous government has been increasing.
"I shall meet the PM tomorrow to secure our rights. I am not going to Delhi seeking alms. The state should get its rights," she said today while inaugurating a two kilometer long flyover between Krishnapur and Raghunathpur on the way to the airport for Delhi.
Ms Banerjee is accompanied by a delegation which includes the likes of Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra.
"We have waited for over three-and-a-half years. We have already paid over rupees 1 lakh crore debt so far. We waited till the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission," she said.
On February 25, Ms Banerjee had written to PM Modi seeking an appointment and urging him to consider the debt waiver immediately.
In an apparent message to some rebel leaders in her party, Ms Banerjee said, "Those who do not work, only get themselves involved in conspiracy," while calling upon her party colleagues and workers to help expedite all development works in the state.
Sabyasachi Dutta, a lawmaker from Rajarhat, was with the Chief Minister right from the inauguration of flyover to the airport. Mr Dutta even touched her feet before she left for Delhi.