West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. , photo credit: PTI
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that if the central government is unable to clear the dues of the states, it should abolish the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Ms Banerjee has been raising her voice against the Center over the past few months over the state’s pending dues, especially MNREGA dues.
The chief minister said the Center was not doing the state any favor by giving funds, adding that he had taken up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ms Banerjee was in the state’s Jangalmahal area on the occasion of Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary.
Addressing a public meeting at Belpahari, Ms Banerjee said the Center cannot deny funds for MGNREGA as it is a constitutional norm and the Act was passed in both the Houses of Parliament. He said that the state government cannot beg for what is owed to the state government. The Center has not paid MGNREGA dues to the state since December 2021 on the grounds that there was corruption in the implementation of the scheme.
He also criticized BJP leaders from West Bengal, who have urged the Center to stop money flow to the state, and asked whether the money was “personal property” of the saffron party’s leaders.
Later in the day, Ms. Banerjee interacted with local people in Belpahari area and when some women said that they do not have access to drinking water, she blamed the paucity of funds for the piped water project under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Held responsible. a halt.
“By 2024, all households were to get piped drinking water. But the Center has stopped giving funds, due to which this project has come to a standstill. Once they make the payment, we will start implementing it.”
The chief minister said she was “fighting with the Centre” against the injustice.