PM conducting 'Mann ki Baat', while Centre deprives WB of funds: TMC leader

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'Mann ki Baat' radio broadcast and said while its 100th episode was heralded with great fanfare, the poor masses of Bengal were deprived of Central funds under the 100-day MGNREGA scheme.

In the 100th episode of 'Mann ki Baat', Modi on Sunday said the broadcast filled the "emptiness" he felt after coming to Delhi in 2014 and described it as an expression of the feelings of crores of Indians which has ensured he is never cut-off from people.

"On the one hand, the prime minister is busy conducting the 100th episode of the Mann ki Baat programme, and the Centre, out of vendetta, has stopped the funds due to Bengal.

"They are depriving the poor people of West Bengal by denying MGNREGA funds to Bengal. It (BJP) is trying to punish the state's people for their defeat in the last assembly poll in 2021. It is yet to accept the defeat," he said while addressing a rally in Uttar Dinajpur district.

Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary, while addressing a rally as part of the 'Trinamool-eh Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool) mass outreach campaign, criticised the BJP MPs from West Bengal for being party to the conspiracy in withholding the dues of the state.

"People are failing to get roti and bhaat (rice) while the PM is conducting the Mann ki Baat programme. West Bengal is the only state where funds have been stopped. Lakhs of poor people across the state are affected due to non-payment of dues by the Centre. The MPs and MLAs of BJP from the state are also part of this conspiracy to withhold funds," he said.

Banerjee's remark drew sharp reactions from the BJP, which dubbed the allegations as baseless.

"The BJP has no role in stopping funds. The TMC has a habit of levelling baseless allegations. The people of the state disagree with such canards spread by the TMC," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.