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Mamata in fresh anti-Cong salvo
After weeks of silence, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday upped the ante against the top leadership of the Congress, her UPA partner, accusing it of exploited the Trinamool politically without giving a single farthing in return.
Hitting out at the Central Government for turning a blind eye to Bengal’s financial woes “even after repeated requests” the Chief Minister alleged, in a circuitous reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, that “they have forgotten the promises they made before the elections to help bail Bengal out from its financial crises.”
She added that the Congress with all its might would never have been able to dislodge the Left Front from Bengal had she not yanked out from the parent outfit in 1998 and formed a new party to wage a war against ‘Marxist oppression’. Her statement seemed to come as a reply to comments made by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh a week ago when he said both, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, were equally responsible for bringing about a change in the State. Banerjee was talking to a Bangla news channel.
“For the past eight months, we are requesting (the Centre) for financial package as the State is deep in debts. But they have not extended a single penny apart from making hollow promises,” the Chief Minister rued. She said that Centre was aware of the fact that Bengal Government had to pay huge amount in salaries but still it was turning a deaf ear to her appeals.
“We have to pay 94 per cent of the State’s earnings for salaries. The Centre knows it very well,” she said reminding how difficult it was to take care of other expenses including developmental activities with the remaining 6 per cent of the revenue. “We wanted a tax holiday but it has not come as yet.”
Lambasting the Congress for backing the Marxists when they were wreaking havoc in Singur and Nandigram, the Chief Minister said “they were nowhere to be seen when we were waging battle in Singur and Nandigram” adding the Congress was instead trying to save the Marxists during those days. “They have come to share power now but when we were fighting, there was no one” she said holding out a veiled threat to the Centre saying her party was always for the people and would never back the Centre’s anti-people policies.
The chemistry between the two parties had suffered after the two parties failed to agree on crucial issues like Teesta Treaty, FDI in retail, Lokpal-Lokayukta and fuel price hike.
“We are committed to the people of the State and we will therefore continue to oppose the anti-people policies like FDI in retail and Lokayukta Bill,” Banerjee said adding the people of her State knew how to extract their dues from the Centre if it did not come on natural course.
After weeks of silence, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday upped the ante against the top leadership of the Congress, her UPA partner, accusing it of exploited the Trinamool politically without giving a single farthing in return.
Hitting out at the Central Government for turning a blind eye to Bengal’s financial woes “even after repeated requests” the Chief Minister alleged, in a circuitous reference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, that “they have forgotten the promises they made before the elections to help bail Bengal out from its financial crises.”
She added that the Congress with all its might would never have been able to dislodge the Left Front from Bengal had she not yanked out from the parent outfit in 1998 and formed a new party to wage a war against ‘Marxist oppression’. Her statement seemed to come as a reply to comments made by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh a week ago when he said both, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, were equally responsible for bringing about a change in the State. Banerjee was talking to a Bangla news channel.
“For the past eight months, we are requesting (the Centre) for financial package as the State is deep in debts. But they have not extended a single penny apart from making hollow promises,” the Chief Minister rued. She said that Centre was aware of the fact that Bengal Government had to pay huge amount in salaries but still it was turning a deaf ear to her appeals.
“We have to pay 94 per cent of the State’s earnings for salaries. The Centre knows it very well,” she said reminding how difficult it was to take care of other expenses including developmental activities with the remaining 6 per cent of the revenue. “We wanted a tax holiday but it has not come as yet.”
Lambasting the Congress for backing the Marxists when they were wreaking havoc in Singur and Nandigram, the Chief Minister said “they were nowhere to be seen when we were waging battle in Singur and Nandigram” adding the Congress was instead trying to save the Marxists during those days. “They have come to share power now but when we were fighting, there was no one” she said holding out a veiled threat to the Centre saying her party was always for the people and would never back the Centre’s anti-people policies.
The chemistry between the two parties had suffered after the two parties failed to agree on crucial issues like Teesta Treaty, FDI in retail, Lokpal-Lokayukta and fuel price hike.
“We are committed to the people of the State and we will therefore continue to oppose the anti-people policies like FDI in retail and Lokayukta Bill,” Banerjee said adding the people of her State knew how to extract their dues from the Centre if it did not come on natural course.
