Trinamool Congress MPs led by senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee tried to meet Union Minister Giriraj Singh today to press for the release of funds to Bengal, for which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sat on a two-day dharna in Kolkata last week. But they had to return empty-handed and the minister was not in.
"After parliament was adjourned for the day, a delegation of 25 Trinamool MPs came to meet the Union Minister of Rural Development, Giriraj Singh. Neither the Union Minister, nor the Minister of State, were present," Abhishek Banerjee told reporters.
"We were not given any proper reason for their absence. It seems that the minister does not have answers to our question, so they chose the easy way and escaped. However, unlike them, Trinamool MPs do not have any ego. Since both the ministers were absent, we agreed to meet the department secretary instead," the Trinamool MP added.
Bengal is the "only state where Central funds have not been released yet," Mr Banerjee claimed. "Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme alone, Rs 7,000 crore is due to the state, as a result of which 17 lakh families have been suffering for over a year," he added.
In a tweet, the Trinamool Congress said:
The Trinamool Congress MPs handed over a memorandum to officials at the Krishi Bhavan with the demands the party wanted to discuss with the ministers.
"We regret to inform you that despite repeated appeals, the outstanding dues to Bengal have still not been cleared. As of April 2023, the dues owed to Bengal under various schemes such as MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna), PMAY (G) (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna – Gramin) and NSAP (National Social Assistance Scheme) stand at approximately ₹12,300 crores," The memorandum read.
The memorandum said on May 12, 2022, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the outstanding dues for Bengal under various central schemes. It said another letter on this subject was written on June 9, 2022.
The BJP however maintains funds have been withheld due to corruption.
BJP MP from Kharagpur and former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh told reporters, "They are corrupt. Everyone's name is coming up in the probe".
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