April 19, 2013
Why West Bengal is being singularly deprived by the Centre, Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee raises question
Trinamool Chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Central Govt.s decision to deprive Bengal yet again. In her recent Facebook post she wrote:
Very recently, few states have been granted thousands of crore of rupees by the Central Government. It is very good. We support that all states must get financial help.
But let us know why West Bengal is being singularly deprived? Is it a political vendetta, guided by narrow politics?
The 12th Finance Commission has identified West Bengal as one of the most debt-stressed states. Also no other state has a huge debt of Rs 2 lakh crore thrust by the previous government. In fact, the Central Government permitted the previous government of Bengal to continue with borrowing without introducing FRBM Act. This financial indiscipline of the previous regime has totally destroyed the fabric of our State.
All we want is not to stand before the Central Government with a begging bowl. We want justice. We want a transparent debt-restructuring plan so that we can invest crore of revenue earned by us be spent for infrastructure development. Instead of providing financial help to West Bengal, every year, Centre is taking away over Rs 25,000 crore from us to meet interest and repayment for debt, for which our government had no responsibility.
Is it not undemocratic and unethical to provide fund to those states which suit Centre’s politics? We always ‘hold our head high’ and ‘mind without fear’. But you all see to yourselves, how injustice and political discrimination is depriving Bengal from its legitimate demands.
