Mamata gives 15-day ultimatum to Centre, warns of fresh agitation if funds not released at earliest

Kolkata: Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, revived the issue of Centre’s dues towards West Bengal, especially, for the 100-day rural job scheme. 

Banerjee has given a 15 day ultimatum to the BJP-led central government, warning that her party representatives would, otherwise, congregate on November 16 to take a call on another agitation.

Banerjee said that party’s representatives – including ones from rural bodies, and elected members would meet at Netaji Indoor Stadium on November 16 to decide the future course of action. The 15-day window covers festive occasions, including Kali Puja and Diwali. 

The chief minister, who addressed the press from Nabanna, the state secretariat, has returned to office after seven weeks. Following her foreign tour in September for promoting Bengal’s business summit, Banerjee worked from her residence-office, and stayed home on medical advice after her leg injury.

Trinamool leaders and supporters, in October, had first gone to Delhi to protest against the Centre’s fund-freeze. Thereafter, on October 5, a party rally had transformed into an indefinite dharna outside Raj Bhavan Kolkata. 

Party’s MP Abhishek Banerjee, who led the campaign in Delhi and Kolkata – concluded the dharna on October 9, conditionally, after a 30-member delegation submitted a letter to Governor CV Ananda Bose, who promised to take up the issue with the Centre within 24 hours. The MP had then cautioned that the agitation would start again from November 1, if Centre didn’t respond favourably.

The arrests of political leaders (with investigations taken up by central agencies), Banerjee observed, is to make the Opposition silent. “It’s a conspiracy,” she said, adding that there’s non-cooperation when it comes to cooperative federalism, and hinted at a peaceful agitation in the future.

On another front, the chief minister stated that one crore “fake” ration cards – that had thrived during the tenure of the previous state government – were discarded after her party came to power in Bengal. She added that action was also initiated to tackle inapt practices in the public distribution system, and digitisation of ration cards drew appreciation from the Centre.

The chief minister said that she doesn’t nurture political vendetta against the leaders in the state's Opposition, but said that now documents (concerning certain leaders), perhaps, will be looked into for any irregularities. Banerjee said that her party, forming the government in the state, had stood for change, and not for retaliation.

On a query about any response from Governor CV Ananda Bose – who had promised to take up the matter with the Centre, Banerjee said that so far nothing has happened, and time is being extended till mid-November. 

Governor Bose, speaking on the sidelines of a programme at Raj Bhavan Kolkata, when asked about the action on the status of the fund-freeze issue following the submission of a letter by Abhishek Banerjee (and others), stated: “The first authority in Bengal to know about the result of my letter to Government of India, is my constitutional colleague, the chief minister. I have intimated (to) her the positive response which I received from the minister, Government of India. He has issued instructions to those concerned to take necessary action in the matter.”