BJP, TMC spar in assembly over CAG report audit paras
Times of India | 7 February 2024
Kolkata: The opposition BJP latched on to audit paras of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) report on state finances at the Bengal assembly on Tuesday to highlight the non-submission of utilisation certificates of Rs 2.29 lakh crore against central schemes pending from 2003 to 2020-21.
Two days ahead of Thursday’s state budget, BJP MLAs raised a din after speaker Biman Banerjee turned down their adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the matter.
It also came four days after the Bengal CM wrote to PM Narendra Modi stating that the departments named in the audit report had already submitted utilization certificates to the ministries concerned in prescribed format.
“The CM used to get angry earlier when she heard the chor, chor (corrupt) slogan. Now, she gets livid when she comes to hear about the CAG report,” said leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari. He wondered why the state govt was afraid of discussions.
State parliamentary affairs minister Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay seized the opportunity to mention that there were similar audit paras on “corruption” against the central govt in the CAG report. “Adhikari is trying to mislead the House by referring to the CAG report. The CAG report also refers to corruption under the central govt,” Chattopadhyay said.
After the adjournment motion was declined, BJP lawmakers rose from their benches, pulled out posters and raised slogans demanding immediate investigation into the audit paras. Some BJP MLAs joined the chorus with “chor, chor” slogans.
The speaker was witness to the chaos but didn’t suspend any BJP MLA like he had done earlier. “I will not suspend anyone from the assembly like it happens in Parliament,” Banerjee said, referring to the suspensions of 141 opposition MPs in LS,
Deputy chief whip of assembly Tapas Roy held that BJP was spreading lies.
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