Unable to face Mamata Banerjee politically, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is punishing the people of Bengal by not giving its dues, worth Rs 1.15 lakh crore, said national general secretary of Trinamul Congress Abhishek Banerjee. He took part in a meet the press programme organized by the Kolkata Press Club this afternoon.

“Payment of workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a constitutional obligation. After failing to defeat Mamata Banerjee politically, the Centre has stopped payment meant for 2.64 crore workers under 100 days’ work. They have not been getting money for the past two years. The Centre has collected Rs 10 lakh crore as GST from Bengal from 2017,” Mr Banerjee maintained, adding, “The Centre has not paid Rs 40,000 crore to repair the damages that had been created by cyclone Amphan.” He added, “We have planned to take the people to Delhi to voice our demand.” He said never in the past more than 1.56 lakh opposition candidates have filed their nomination in the ensuing Panchayat election.

“During the Panchayat election under the Left rule in 2003 and 2008, opposition candidates were not allowed to file nominations. The CPM is such a shameless party that it has joined hands with the BJP and fielded candidates.” Asked to comment on the statement of the Governor that the State Election Commission is responsible for the reign of terror in the rural areas, Mr Banerjee said “He is carrying out the orders from Delhi.

I would have been very happy had he visited the house of the next of kin of those who died in the Coromandel Express accident. But that would not have given him political mileage,” he said adding, “I urge the Centre to send such an erudite, scholarly man to Manipur where people are being killed everyday.” Commenting on dynastic politics, he said, “Centre should table a Bill in the Parliament to put an end to this.

I will be the first person to give up politics. But how can the saffron party bring such a Bill when many of their leaders are involved in dynastic politics,” he said adding, “Six family members of Adhikari family are involved in politics.”