Mamata deprived states of Rs 50,000 crore in Central grants: Sukanta

Sukant Mazumdar, the President of BJP in West Bengal, has accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of prioritizing her political ambitions over the welfare of the people. Speaking at the Kolkata Press Club, Mazumdar claimed that the state has missed out on central assistance worth Rs 50,000 crore due to this approach.

Mazumdar pointed out that other state governments, regardless of party affiliation, work in coordination with central ministries to ensure their citizens benefit from central schemes. However, he criticized Mamata Banerjee's government for not implementing ambitious initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and Kisan Samman Nidhi in West Bengal.

Highlighting the disparity, Mazumdar mentioned that only 39 people have received benefits from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, while Sufal Bangla has reached eight lakh people. Additionally, six crore individuals have benefited from schemes under Garib Kalyan Yojana. He accused Mamata's government of not providing a list of beneficiaries for Kisan Samman, causing significant losses to Bengal's farmers.

Mazumdar also questioned the Election Commission's decision not to deploy central forces in polling stations. He suggested that the High Court's instructions for deploying over 80,000 central forces were being ignored. He expressed concerns about the training and impartiality of the newly enlisted police officers assigned to election duty, claiming that they were behaving like Trinamool cadres.

The BJP leader threatened legal action if central forces were not deployed in polling stations, raising concerns about violence and intimidation faced by opposition candidates during the ongoing panchayat elections. Mazumdar alleged that these actions were aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear and discouraging voter turnout.