Centre withheld ₹1.75 lakh crore from Bengal, claims Abhishek Banerjee in TMC leaders meet

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with party leaders across West Bengal, where he accused the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of economic, political, and cultural discrimination against the state. Addressing the participants, Banerjee claimed that the Centre has withheld over ₹1.75 lakh crore in legitimate dues meant for Bengal.

He stated that despite the alleged financial freeze, the Trinamool-led state government has continued to implement welfare schemes using its own resources. “We are not dependent on the Centre. We have built roads and given houses on our own,” Banerjee said. He added that under the housing scheme, the state government has already released two instalments to ensure timely disbursal of funds to beneficiaries.

The virtual meeting was held to brief district-level leaders and assess ongoing programme implementation. Banerjee reiterated that development works would continue, and party functionaries were instructed to stay active in the field. The meeting also addressed internal organisational matters and progress of welfare schemes across the state.