Siliguri, West Bengal: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Centre of denying funds to the state government due under various central schemes like the JNNURM, food procurement and 100 Days' Work Programme.
"These funds are our right. They (Centre) are not giving money. They (BJP leaders) are only hurling abuses at us. Empty stomaches do not fill by these abuses," Mamata said.
"We want ration, not bhasan (lecture)," she said at a state government programme here. She said that states were concerned about fall in their revenue generation.
"If you collect Rs 40,000 crore from our state and give us Rs 8,000 crore and say the Centre is giving it, we don't like this. After all this is the money of our state," Mamata said at the inauguration of the "Uttarbangal Utsav" here.
The chief minister regretted that the state government was being forced to part away with a major chunk of its revenue by way of repaying debts incurred by the previous government.
"We could have created many more job opportunities if the CPI-M had not destroyed the infrastructure for 35 years," she said, but expressed the resolve that Bengal would progress despite all the "negativity and propaganda".
She also exhorted political parties not to "create hurdles for development by calling bandhs". The chief minister reiterated her allegation that a few media houses were continuously spreading 'negativity and lies'.
She claimed, "From Kanyashree Prakalpa (A flagship programme to provide scholarships to girl students) to Yuvashree scheme (giving monthly aid of Rs 1,500 to unemployed youths till they find employment) to grants and aid to farmers like power tillers and tractors- we are helping everyone."
"We have set up schools and colleges for north Bengal. Institutes like St Xavier's College have set up branches here. Several industries are coming up in north Bengal. The surge of development will continue," the chief minister said.
"We are providing assistance to clubs for sports infrastructure development," she said.
Referring to the recently held Bengal Global Business summit to woo investment for the state, Banerjee said, "Just like I did Global Business Summit, I also care for farmers. I will interact with them at Maati Utsav" (Soil fest).
