Leader of the All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien today slammed the Centre by calling it a government that focuses on headline management rather than fiscal management.
Criticising the government for taking several schemes like BRGF, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, mid-day meal scheme, ICDS, modernisation of police forces among others out of central funding, Derek asked the Centre to follow operative federalism instead of cooperative federalism.
He also called the bluff of the Centre on its claims of greater devolution to States. He said there was only a meagre increase from 61.88 paise to the rupee to 62 paise to the rupee. He slammed the government for the huge reduction in social sector budget.
Talking about the Centre’s much-publicised flagship scheme Jan Dhan Yojana, he asked the Finance Minister how many bank accounts have even Re 1 as balance. He criticised him for no mention of electoral reforms either in the Budget or the President’s Address.
Derek O’Brien concluded his speech by quipping two lines in Hindi:
Phool aur poude se hai maali ka kaam,
Jo kaante se darr jaye woh hoga nakaam.