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Union Home Minister Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle for next year’s assembly election in West Bengal, and set the record straight by directly addressing CM Mamata Banerjee
Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah addresses an organisational meeting of the party at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on June 1. (Image: PTI/Swapan Mahapatra)
One of the common refrains of West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, against the Narendra Modi-led government, has been ‘Banglar bonchona’, or deprivation of Bengal, through the alleged non-release of central funds meant for the state.
On Sunday, however, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle for next year’s assembly election, he set the record straight by directly addressing Mamata Banerjee. He claimed that the Modi government has provided central funds to West Bengal four times to those provided under the Congress-led UPA.
“Brothers and sisters, in the end, I want to pose a question to Mamata ji. Mamata ji, you have been in power for 10 years at the Centre, chief minister for 15 years, you were with the UPA, now you are with the INDI alliance. What have you given to Bengal in the 10 years you were there in the Sonia-Manmohan government? Brothers and sisters, in those 10 years, she gave Rs 2.09 lakh crore. Respond loudly, how much did she give? Modi ji in 10 years instead has provided Rs 8.27 lakh crore,” Shah said.
HOW BENGAL GOT 4 TIMES MORE UNDER MODI GOVT
News18 has learnt that during the Congress-led UPA regime, out of Rs 2.09 lakh crore, Rs 1.34 lakh crore was devolution and Rs 75 thousand crore was grant-in-aid.
During the Modi government, out of the total Rs 8.27 lakh crore meant for West Bengal, Rs 5.24 lakh crore was for devolution and Rs 3 lakh crore was grant-in-aid. The total was a four-time jump – a fact that may not fit well with the TMC’s political narrative.
News18 accessed granular details of the central funds for West Bengal in the last 10 years, during which a lump sum amount was spent on highways. For instance, Rs 61 thousand crore is allocated on Kharagpur-Siliguri economic corridor which is likely to be completed by 2028, Rs 30 thousand crore is okayed for Siliguri-Gorakhpur Greenfield expressway which too is expected to be completed by 2027, Rs 10 crore is being spent from 2014 to 2021 for modernisation of 1,000 km of national highways among various other projects.
In the last 10 years, a major investment, News18 has learnt, has gone into the railways in Bengal. Rs 64 thousand crore is pumped into 45 new track projects of 4,660 km. Nine Amrit Bharat trains are presently plying in nine districts, while Metro connectivity has also been ramped up.
In 2022, New Jalpaiguri station was developed as India’s first international train terminal at the cost of Rs 300 crore. Rs 400 crore was spent on different development works at the Kolkata international airport. Rs 700 crore was spent to make Durgapur airport under the PPP model, which was ready by 2015. Rs 1,550 crore was pumped into North Bengal’s Bagdogra airport’s New Civil Enclave as well.
Sources in the BJP suggest how central funds went into shipping to fishery, agriculture to industries – virtually in all sectors. In the water harvesting sector, the Tista Barrage project, which was completed in 2022, cost Rs 3,340 crore. The Centre provided the bulk of it at Rs 3000 crore.
In industries, Rs 3,000 crore was spent on the Haldia-Barauni oil pipeline. In the defence sector, Rs 4,400 crore was given in 2020 to six states from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
Bengal was the highest recipient – Rs 2,700 crore – for Cyclone Amphan. In the health sector, be it Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital in Rajarhat or AIIMS in Kalyani, central funds were never an issue, sources said.
BENGAL IN CENTRAL SCHEMES
The different flagship central schemes, too, have been working well in Bengal like the rest of India. There are 53 lakh recipients who have benefited from Rs 8,500 crore collectively under the PM KISAN Yojana.
Another project, which is the Prime Minister’s pet project Jal Jeevan Mission, through which he envisions connecting each house with a piped water supply, has 82 lakh connections in the state.
There are 87 lakh toilets in a state with a mission to eradicate open defecation. There are six crore recipients in Bengal as far as Anna Yojna is concerned, and 1.25 crore connected under Ujwala Yojana in the state.
Out of these, 37 lakh belong to either the SC or ST category. Under the central housing scheme, in urban sectors in Bengal, 4.6 lakh house keys were handed over, while in the rural sector, the number was even higher at 34 lakh houses. With Rs 1.67 lakh crore, Bengal residents are connected to direct benefit transfer giving a push to India’s digital effort.
The sources said while allegations against the BJP may continue, the party’s intent for Bengal is evident with the opening of two prestigious central institutions – IIT and AIIMS in Kalyani.
There has been a long-standing to and fro between the state and the Centre where the latter has claimed that there is rampant corruption in the implementation of central schemes. The state, meanwhile, has claimed that it is unfairly treated for political reasons.
In the overall narrative game, the state has been making a case for the BJP by denying central funds, for the BJP’s alleged anti-Bengal mindset, making it tough for the state unit. But with Shah’s rebuttal, the TMC narrative gets a beating.
Just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Bengal visit, TMC’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Bengal today. We extend our welcome to the prime minister. But we also want to remind the prime minister that Rs 1.7 lakh crore is still owed to Bengal by the central government.”
Shah addressed a packed Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata; from state BJP president down to mandal presidents, he seemed to have answered for the Prime Minister.
“I want to ask you, has the money reached your village? Speak up loud, has it reached? Where has it gone? Where has it gone? This money (central funds) is ending up at the TMC city camp. Even if Modi ji sends Rs 50 lakh crore, it won’t reach you,” he said.
Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in …Read More
Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in … Read More
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