Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee urged finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to publish a white paper on the money sent to Bengal on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years.

He was taking part in the debate on the Union budget in Lok Sabha this afternoon.

He said, after BJP’s landslide defeat in 2021 Assembly election in Bengal, the Centre has not released a single paisa on the MGNREGA scheme. “Sixty nine lakh job card holders under the scheme have been deprived under the scheme and the state government has cleared their dues. If the finance minister releases a white paper then the whole matter will be cleared,” he said. The Centre has deprived 11.25 lakh people who have not got roof above their heads under Awas Yojana. “The BJP has conspired to defame Bengal and tried to malign the state before the entire country by making false allegations.”

Mr Banerjee said the Union budget has betrayed the housewives, common people, daily-wage earners and farmers. “The Budget is directionless and has deprived the common people. It is not sabka sath sabka vikas. On the contrary, it is jo hamare sath, unka vikas. The Centre spent Rs 20,000 crore for the Central Vista, but what happened to the houses of the urban poor,” he asked.

He said, “Under the BJP rule, the word BUDGET stands for B= Betrayal, U= Unemployment, D= Deprive, G= Guarantee, E= Eccentric and T=Tragedy.”

He said the country could have progressed a lot if the NDA had not engaged itself in delivering hate speeches and spread the venom of hatred among the people. “The country should know that the BJP does not have a single Muslim MP or MLA in any state ruled by it. In the name of Kanwar Yatra it had forced to put up the names of the shop owners on the route the yatra. Thanks to the Supreme Court that the matter has been stayed.”

He urged the finance minister to make Lakshmir Bhandar a national model. “Kanyashree in Bengal has bagged the United Public Service Award and the prize was not given by any Tom, Dick or Harry.”

He remarked that the “BJP and women empowerment do not go together. They talk about Beti Bachao, Beti Padao but not Beti ko naukri dilao.”

Mr Banerjee said unemployment in the country is at an all-time high. “The youths are not interested in the 90-minute speech of the finance minister on Budget, they want jobs.” The Centre has miserably failed to control the price hike and the household savings has plummeted.” The BJP MPs tried to disrupt his speech, but Mr Banerjee held back his patience and completed his 54-minute speech.