Kolkata: Branding Narendra Modi as a “non-resident Prime Minister”, the Trinamool Congress today questioned his government’s performance in the one-and-a-half years of rule at the Centre.
“The Prime Minister and his Ministers have created a record in travelling abroad. The people are saying that he is a non-resident Prime Minister,” TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee told reporters here.
Attacking the Modi government, he said, “They have promised acchhe din (good days), but the poor people of the country are expressing their anger against the BJP-led government at the Centre.”
Chatterjee, who is also the state Education Minister, said, “The BJP is feeling bad seeing the success of Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal. They are resorting to falsehood to tarnish the image of the TMC government. The people will give them a fitting reply.”
Terming the Mamata Banerjee government as an extension of the Left’s 34-year ‘misrule’, BJP, during the day, questioned its development claims and alleged that West Bengal was only witnessing growth of “bomb-making” industry and the “syndicates” run by Trinamool Congress supporters.
Chatterjee also accused the Modi government of either “stopping or curtailing funds” for various centrally-sponsored projects.
“They are creating economic barriers to stall the state’s development,” he alleged and said, “By resorting to falsehood, Bengal’s development can’t be stopped.”
The Centre, he alleged, was taking away Rs 28,000 crore by way of interest on the huge debt incurred by the previous Left Front government.
Chatterjee further alleged that the Centre had stopped funds for around 50 per cent of the projects while curtailing funds for around 35 per cent of projects like ICDS and mid-day deal.
He also charged that the Centre did not allocate funds for flood relief in Bengal although similar funds had been given to other states.
On BJP’s criticism of the situation prevailing in north Bengal tea gardens, he said, “What have they done for the tea gardens? We have announced a Rs 100-crore package for the tea gardens. We are trying to open closed gardens”.
PTI