Stage set for by-elections in six Assembly constituencies
The stage is ready for by-elections in six Assembly constituencies in the state, scheduled to take place on 13 November.
West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress will move a censure motion in the state assembly against the railway budget on Thursday, 8 February, to protest against “drastic slashing of funds” for several projects, a state minister said on Wednesday, 7 February.
Disclosing this to the media in Kolkata, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said if all the parties supported the motion, it would send a strong message to the Centre.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Tuesday accused the Centre of discriminating against Bengal in the 2017-18 rail budget proposals, claiming the allocation of funds for several projects, including some Metro lines, had been drastically slashed.
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“This is a clear example of discrimination against Bengal. Bengal was deprived of any new project in the Union Budget and now they have even reduced the allocation for the ongoing Metro projects. We are being deprived,” she said.
Criticising the Trinamool Congress’ decision to bring the censure motion, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh said the state’s ruling party was “unnecessarily politicising” the issue.
“They are unnecessarily politicising the issue. If the ruling party really wants Bengal’s development, they should approach the Finance Minister and the Railway Minister to raise their points of concern,” Ghosh said.
“Rather than engaging in discussions, they are busy demonstrating in Delhi or bringing censure motion in the assembly. This is nothing but a part of their anti-Centre politics,” he alleged, adding that the Bengal BJP would also help the state government realise its demands if those were put forward in a proper way.
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