Mamata govt making frivolous expenditure: Buddhadeb

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday accused the Trinamool Congress-led government in the state of making frivolous expenditure while not paying salaries of employees citing lack of funds.

"The government is giving grants to clubs, but is not paying salaries to the Transport Department and other employees. The government is claiming lack of funds, but it is making frivolous expenditure," Bhattacharjee told a CPI-M rally here. Alleging that the present dispensation stopped the government dole of Rs 1500 to workers in closed tea gardens leading to starvation deaths, Bhattacharjee, said "The government is claiming it has no money as we had made the state bankrupt. But we had not stopped doles and subsidies."

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has on several occasions said that the previous Left Fron, which ruled the state for 34 years, had made the state bankrupt and left behind a debt burden of Rs 2.3 lakh crore.

Bhattacharjee alleged that the government was not buying paddy from farmers leading to their suicides. Leader of Opposition and party leader Suryakanta Mishra claimed that 31 farmers committed suicide because of poverty. "The chief minister is blaming the Centre for all ills in the state, but it cannot absolve itself of its responsibility," he said. CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose accused the Trinamool Congress of having hobnobbed with Maoists in 'junglemahal'.

"More than 250 CPI(M) cadres and supporters were killed in West Midnapore district alone since 2007," Bose said.