Kolkata: A fresh round of campaign by the Trinamool Congress could shape up around the Centre’s fund-freeze to West Bengal for public welfare schemes – namely the 100-day rural job scheme, if the issue doesn’t get resolved in a week’s time, or so.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, said that a seven-day time period would be considered.
The Centre and the state have been in touch to resolve the issue that has acquired a stalemate situation.
While the intent to reorganise a campaign concerning the fund-freeze is visible, the nature and magnitude of any activity is yet to be determined. The outcome depends on how things move ahead on the issue in the next one week.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written several times, and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, earlier. The Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and other party leaders had led a team to Delhi, but had been unsuccessful in meeting with the minister concerned.
In Kolkata, a rally and a protest outside Raj Bhavan by party’s leaders preceded CM Banerjee’s visit to Delhi last month to meet the prime minister on the issue.
The issue has now gained momentum, given that the schemes directly affect rural voters, and the Lok Sabha elections are to take place in near future. The two leading political opponents in Bengal – the Trinamool, and the BJP, have put forth their narratives before the people on the issue.
Published 26 January 2024, 15:56 IST