At a press conference at the TMC headquarters, state minister Shashi Panja accused the Centre of depriving West Bengal of good rail projects in the last few years, claiming that in the latest Budget nominal allocations were made for projects in the state. In contrast, BJP-ruled states had been receiving funds in a sustained manner, she added.
(File) The Trinamool Congress on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not cancelling his scheduled programmes in West Bengal following news of the Uttarakhand flood in which over a hundred people are reported missing and at least 50 are feared dead.
“After this incident, the prime minister should have cancelled the pre-scheduled programmes. He only talked about the West Bengal government. Nothing said about country and the burning issues. We have all the answers, but today we decided not to respond to any allegation. We will give all answers tomorrow,” TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray told reporters following Modi’s speech.
He added, “We are ready to answer every allegation made by the prime minister. But, today is not the right day. Today, an unfortunate incident happened near Joshimath in Uttarakhand. Many people are missing. News is coming that many people may have died in that incident. Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee already expressed sympathy for this incident.”
Following news of the flood, Banerjee had tweeted, “Deeply shocked and very saddened at the loss of lives in the disaster that took place in Uttarakhand. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Wishing a speedy and full recovery for those injured in the calamity.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference at the TMC headquarters here, state minister Shashi Panja accused the Centre of depriving West Bengal of good rail projects in the last few years, claiming that in the latest Budget nominal allocations were made for projects in the state. In contrast, BJP-ruled states had been receiving funds in a sustained manner, she added.
“Bengal receives the highest ever rail allocation is an election jumla, Bengal has been deprived again,” the TMC said in a statement.
Panja claimed that nominal financial allocations were made for Bengal’s railway projects announced earlier. “While presenting the Budget, the BJP government makes allocations based on whether a state is going to elections or not. Eastern states, including West Bengal, have been deprived since 2016-’17, and some projects have been announced in the 2021-’22 Budget with the Assembly polls in mind,” she said.
He added, “Over one dozen rail factories across Bengal initiated by Mamata Banerjee when she was the Minister of Railways have received only a token financial allocation this year. The new rail coach manufacturing unit at Kanchrapara had been allocated Rs 74 lakh in the last budget. This year, the allocation is just Rs 1,000. The coaching remodelling unit at Tikiapara has been allocated just Rs 5 lakh. The 15-coach repairing centre at Ranaghat and the 12-coach centre at Bandel have not received a single rupee.”