The Opposition BJP and the ruling Trinamool in Bengal are giving each other tough competition ahead of the upcoming rural Assembly polls.
A new flashpoint between the parties is the visit of central teams to the state for field inspection of houses built under the PMAY-G scheme.
‘Political reasons’
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday observed the reason behind such an initiative could be ‘political’. “For political reasons, the Centre keeps sending A team, B team, A-Z team, and if anything untoward happens, they will send a team from the Centre to probe the matter,” Mamata said in south Bengal’s Gangasagar.
The chief minister reiterated that the Centre has not offered funds for the 100-days’ work scheme. The state, having generated the most mandates under the scheme, is deprived of the funds instead, she added.
She said that the poor people have worked hard, and their dues have accumulated.
Mamata clarified that complaints in the housing scheme had been enquired into, and 17 lakh names have been removed from the list.
Around 11 lakh houses have been built in the past month, and the remaining will also be built in phases after proper enquiry, she said.
She also alleged that (some) leaders representing the BJP were also the scheme’s beneficiaries.
The Union rural development ministry deputed the two central teams to West Bengal for the field inspection of the Purba Medinipur and Malda districts.
BJP welcomes decision
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, has welcomed the Centre’s decision to depute the teams for field inspection of PMAY-G houses in Bengal, adding that “corrupt thieves who deprived the poor need to be jailed” in a tweet.
Several leaders from both parties, on both sides of the political divide, have
spoken and echoed their stands.
A section of villagers, local sources add, demonstrated, asking members of one of the visiting teams to Purba Medinipur that their earnings under the 100-day job scheme be released.