Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamul Congress national general secretary demanded that the Centre should publish a white paper on the mounting unemployment in the country.

Talking to the media after visiting a model Sebaashray camp at Satgachia this morning he said in the past 11 years, unemployment has gone down in Bengal by 40 per cent, while in the country it has gone up alarmingly.

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Coming down heavily on the Centre, he said it had deliberately deprived Bengal in the Budget. “In Bengal, BJP has 12 MPs while in Bihar they have the same number of MPs. Bihar has been allocated large sums while Bengal is deprived.”

On the Union Budget, Abhishek said, “I have said it clearly that the Union Budget is nothing but deception. They said that those earning up to Rs 12 lakh will not have to pay income tax. However, those earning Rs 1 lakh per month will have to purchase essentials. How will they survive when every item of daily need is taxed under GST? If someone earns Rs 1 lakh, they end up paying Rs 98,000 in GST. They claim to provide an Rs 80,000 rebate but extract Rs 98,000 through GST. I have submitted my data sources to the Speaker.”

Rubbishing the allegation of the Opposition that the state Budget is directionless, he said the state government has proposed allotment of Rs 44,000 crore for the development of panchayats. The state government has decided to make the Ghatal Master Plan to control flood in vast areas in West Midnapore. The state government had held several meetings with the Union minister and senior officials to seek money for the Ghatal Master Plan. “The Centre was supposed to provide Rs 1,200 crore for the Ghatal Master Plan. The Centre did not respond and so the state government decided to go ahead on its own,” he said.

Criticising state BJP president and MP Sukanta Majumdar’s statement that the state government has allocated more funds for madrasah education, which is nothing but minority appeasement of the state government, Mr Banerjee said unlike the BJP, the state government does not believe in divisive politics and carries out all-round development of the state.

Mr Banerjee today visited the Sebaashray model camp at Satgachia.

The initiative by him is the only of its kind by a political leader in the country, which started on 2 January in the areas that fall Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency.

Already 19 people, who had visited the Bishnupur camps underwent surgery to remove cataract. They are all keeping well and normal vision has been restored.