Budget session: Bengal Assembly set for CAG, funds freeze storm
Telegraph | 5 February 2024
The Bengal Assembly’s
budget session, beginning Monday, is set to witness stormy exchanges with the
BJP planning to cite a CAG report to allege a “mother of all scams” worth Rs 2
lakh crore, and Trinamul attacking the Centre for withholding Bengal’s
legitimate funds.
The
stage was set on Sunday with Trinamul leader Kunal Ghosh dismissing the CAG
claim that Bengal had failed to furnish utilisation certificates for funds of Rs 2.29 lakh crore, and MP Derek
O’Brien raising the issue of the central funds freeze.
“There
is false and malicious propaganda that the Bengal government has not submitted
utilisation certificates,” Ghosh, Trinamul state general secretary, said.
“Chief
minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the
matter…. The (CAG) report talks about the 2002-03 to 2020-21 cycle. But till
2010-11, the Left was in power in Bengal. The Trinamul Congress cannot take
responsibility for that period.”
On
Friday, Mamata had blamed Modi and the comptroller and auditor general (CAG)
for the Centre stopping the funds flow
to Bengal, signalling that central deprivation would be Trinamul’s main
campaign plank for the general election.
She
has also accused the CAG of falsely accusing her government of delaying
utilisation certificates.
“Our
government has submitted all utilisation certificates for central funds, in keeping with the given protocols, to
the respective departments within the specified timeline. It was because we
sent the certificates that the next tranche of funds was released,” Ghosh said.
“Most
importantly, the issue of utilisation certificates was not raised by the
central officers during the meeting with state government officials.”
Trinamul sources said
Mamata had referred to the CAG as Modi had apparently asked her party’s leader
in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, to go through the CAG report when he
approached the Prime Minister with a request to clear Bengal’s dues.
“It
is unfortunate that some of the statements in the CAG report are being
deliberately twisted by Opposition leaders to engage in malicious propaganda.
We strongly condemn this,” Ghosh said.
“The
Trinamul Congress will not take responsibility for the Left’s lack of
accountability during their regime as we have followed all protocols when we
came to power.”
Trinamul
sources said that blaming Modi for the funds freeze was part of a political
strategy to create pressure on the Prime Minister — through a large campaign
across the state — to come clean on the issue.
O’Brien,
Trinamul’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, harped on the same theme, referring to
Mamata’s announcement on Saturday that her government would pay the wage dues
of nearly 21 lakh 100-day job scheme workers. These workers have not been paid
since January 2023 because of the Centre’s stoppage of funds.
“(Saturday)
was one of the biggest days in the history of India for federalism. The
announcement made by the chief minister of Bengal will
combat the BJP’s fiscal federal terrorism that involves depriving Bengal of its rightful due,” O’Brien
said.
The
state BJP, on the other hand, plans to “unleash hell” on the government benches
during the budget session, which the chief minister is likely to join after
returning from Delhi on Thursday.
Since
2021, the Bengal BJP has
developed a track record of being disruptive and non-participative inside the
House during sessions, and causing ructions outside.
State
BJP sources said the party’s MLAs would insist on the CAG report being
presented in the Assembly
and discussed, besides demanding a statement
from Mamata on a clutch of issues including the CAG report and the alleged
collapse of law and order.
Leader
of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who skipped Friday’s all-party meeting
called by Speaker Biman Banerjee as well as the business advisory committee
meeting, said the BJP would engage with the government during the budget
session to emphasise issues “relevant to the welfare” of the common people.
“Our
legislators will meet at 10am on Tuesday and decide our floor strategy. We will
demand that the state government table the CAG report and initiate a discussion
on it,” Adhikari said.
“The
budget will be placed on Thursday, and the next two days have been kept for
discussions. Our legislators will take part in the discussions and highlight
issues related to the people.”
To
counter the Trinamul charges of central deprivation, the BJP will accuse the
state government of trying to “impede” central projects aimed at the “welfare”
of the people.
“We
will reply to the chief minister in the same manner as she responds to our
demands,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari
left for Delhi on Sunday to attend meetings with his national leadership on
Monday.
He
is likely to participate in a strategy meeting with Union home minister Amit
Shah, and may play a role in countering Mamata’s statements during her Delhi
visit, starting Monday.
Trinamul
has repeatedly accused the BJP of indulging in theatrics and aggression in the
House under Adhikari’s leadership without actually participating in the
legislative processes.