West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the central government in the state Assembly on Monday, accusing it of withholding central allocations to the state under key welfare schemes. She alleged that the move was politically motivated and aimed at deliberately depriving Bengal of its rightful dues.
Speaking during a session following a question from MLA Tarun Maiti regarding the status of the 100-day work scheme (MGNREGA), the Chief Minister intervened after Panchayat Minister Pradeep Majumdar’s response to sharply criticise the Centre for financial discrimination. “The central government has not given us a single rupee in the past four years for schemes like the Grameen Awas Yojana, 100-day work project or rural road development,” Mamata said, citing official figures.
"But other states have received the funds. This is a moral injustice and a crime,” she added.
Minister Majumdar echoed these concerns earlier during the session, also accusing the Centre of sustained financial neglect toward the state.
The Chief Minister pointed out that West Bengal has been subjected to intense scrutiny. “As many as 155 to 156 central teams have come to Bengal for inspections. We have provided every single piece of information they asked for. Yet, not even a paisa has been released,” she said.
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Raising questions over the fairness of the Centre’s actions, Mamata asked, "There have been complaints from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat too. How many central teams have been sent there?”
Mamata lambasted the Centre’s failure to release wages under the 100-day work scheme, saying, “You made people work, but refused to pay them. Is that justice?”
She also highlighted the Centre’s apathy towards the delegation that had visited Delhi to seek funds. “Even after fixing a meeting, not a single junior minister sat with them for four hours. Instead, a police case was filed against them. We gave our own money to ensure Bengal’s people were paid,” she added.
In her concluding remarks, Mamata alleged that the financial deprivation was intentional. “The central government has decided that they will not give any money to Bengal. This is their political decision. All of this is being done to punish and deprive Bengal,” she said, reaffirming her stance that the state's interests are being sidelined for political reasons.
The issue is likely to escalate further in the coming days as state leaders rally around the allegation of central injustice ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
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