Centre a cruel govt, Guajarat will never rule Bengal : Mamata
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the Centre calling it "a cruel government" for its meagre advance to the state after Cyclone Amphan and said "Gujarat will never be able to rule Bengal".
By : migrator
Update: 2021-02-08 13:20 GMT
Kolkata
Speaking on the last day of the concluding session of the 16th West Bengal assembly, Banerjee also took on the Opposition for criticising her vote-on-account and saying it was done with an eye on the polls.
The feisty Trinamool Congress supremo, who was speaking at the debate on the Rs 2.99 lakh crore vote-on- account presented by her, said even if it was so it was done for the welfare of the people and claimed that her party would return to power in the state in the coming assembly poll.
"Even if it (the vote-on-account) is what the opposition is saying, where is the problem? It is for the welfare of the people. Some are saying we are there for a few days. We will be back with a huge mandate", she asserted.
To Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of her government during his visit to the state on Monday, Banerjee lashed out saying she has never seen asuch a "cruel" government as the one headed by him at the Centre.
"Now that polls are round the corner in West Bengal, it seems that there is nothing else for BJP but Bengal. In this election all its leaders and ministers are coming to places in the state of which they do not even know.
"Gujarat will never be able to rule Bengal," she said in an apparent reference to the visit of Modi and those by Amit Shah, who is scheduled to visit the state later this week.
Criticising the BJP-led government at the Centre, she said the prime minister during his visit to the state after the devastating cyclone Amphan had announced a mere RS 1000 crore.
"That money too was given as advance. I have never seen such a cruel government. We had to spend more than Rs 2542 crore over and above the last budget to meet the situation due to Cylone Amphan and COVID-19," she said a presented a supplementary budget on it.
On opposition's allegations of mass corruption in the distribution of relief post-Amphan, she conceded that there may have been some errors but they were corrected.
"Now that polls are round the corner in the state, it seems that there is nothing else for BJP but Bengal. In this election all its leaders and ministers are coming to places in the state which they do not even know of".
Banerjee said she will inaugurate a total 19 projects in the state on Monday and Tuesday at an investment of Rs 72200 crore and create employment opportunity for 3.2 lakh people.
The session concluded after passing the clearing the vote-on-account, which was presented on February 5, and the supplementary budget.
Banerjee took part in the photo session of the House, which was boycotted by the opposition BJP, Left and Congress members. Assembly employees took part in it.
Bengal future investment destination of the world: Mamata
Asserting that West Bengal is the future investment destination of the world, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a host of infrastructure projects, which will entail investments to the tune of "Rs 72,000 crore and provide jobs to 3.29 lakh people". She said 1.5 crore jobs will be created in the state over the next five years, maintaining that an equal number of employment opportunities have already been provided to people.
"Bengal is the destination of the whole world for investment and employment," she said, inaugurating a programme of the West Bengal Youth and Sports Department at Netaji Indoor Stadium here.
"A proposal of Rs 62,000-crore investment for Jangalmahal Industrial Town at Raghunathpur in Purulia has come forward," Banerjee said.
She also announced a 100-acre pharmaceutical park at Falta in South 24 Parganas, an industrial park at Budge Budge, a mega industrial park at Mekhliganj in Coochbehar and the fourth phase of Barjora Industrial Park in Bankura.
Claiming that the state was developing in every sector, the chief minister said while there has been a 40-per cent increase in joblessness in the country, in West Bengal, poverty "has reduced by 40 per cent".
"Those who come here and dish out lies, should know these facts which have been provided in Government of India records," the chief minister added.
Banerjee also virtually inaugurated some infrastructure projects, including those of the Animal Resources Development Department and in the healthcare sector.
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