Narendra Modi addessing a rally in Kolkata on Wednesday
Ruling Trinamool Congress has said that BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi gave "factually incorrect" data about West Bengal during a rally in Kolkata on Wednesday.
"The honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat made a few statements which were factually incorrect," said a post on the party's website.
At the rally, Mr Modi had mentioned that only 35 per cent schools in the state have electricity and that 60 per cent girls' schools in the state have toilets.
"The research team, which provided him with these figures, clearly depended on an old report. According to the report of a review committee meeting held today, 98 per cent schools in West Bengal have toilets while most primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools have uninterrupted power supply," the statement said.
It pointed out that West Bengal is the only state in India to have a power bank.
In the last session of West Bengal assembly, Power Minister Manish Gupta had informed the House that West Bengal will achieve 100 per cent rural electrification by December 2014.
"As of December 2013, West Bengal achieved 60 per cent rural electrification (up from 10 per cent during the Left Front rule)," the Trinamool Congress said.
The statement said that with a debt burden of over Rs 2 lakh crore and a yearly interest of Rs 28,000 crore, little money is available for the government to spend for public purpose.
"However, West Bengal government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, managed to increase revenue collection from Rs 22,000 crore (in 2011-12) to Rs 40,000 crore (2013-14, till August), which is about 81.8 per cent," it said.
At the rally, BJP president Rajnath Singh had sympathised with Ms Banerjee's demand for a bailout package for the debt-ridden state saying the UPA government should have given a moratorium on loan repayment to the Centre.