Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar has done nothing as an MP, except for conspiring in New Delhi to stop funds for the development of West Bengal.
Addressing a rally in Harirampur in Majumdar's Balurghat constituency in Dakshin Dinajpur district, Banerjee claimed that the Centre was withholding West Bengal's "rightful dues" as it wants to teach the state's poor a lesson for not voting for the BJP in the 2021 assembly polls.
Hitting back, Majumdar said his performance as a first-time MP is reflected in the Sansad Ratna Award he received this year, and the Centre stopped MGNREGA funds as the West Bengal government failed to provide utilisation certificates.
Banerjee said, "During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Sukanta Majumdar of BJP won by around 34,000 votes. We accepted the people's mandate. He became state BJP president in 2021. Show me one instance in which he met Balurghat's BJP leaders after that! Leave alone meetings, can he show ten developmental projects undertaken by the Centre for the people of Dakshin Dinajpur?"
"Instead of working for the development of the state, Sukanta Majumdar is busy writing to his Delhi leaders, asking them to stop the money meant for the poor people of Bengal," he claimed.
Abhishek, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is the TMC's national general secretary, was addressing the rally as part of the 'Trinamooley Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool) programme ahead of the panchayat elections.
"They stopped the funds as they want to teach the poor a lesson since the people of Bengal didn't vote for BJP in the 2021 assembly elections," he claimed. "Next time, don't vote on religious issues, don't vote on caste issues. Instead, vote for your rights. BJP is making people suffer for not voting for them. I ask the BJP leaders to fight with TMC politically, don't harass the poor," he said.
Rejecting the allegations as baseless, Majumdar said Banerjee is not aware of his achievements as an MP because of his poor attendance in Parliament. "The allegations are baseless. The development works I have undertaken in the area through the Railways Ministry and other departments of the Union government are very much visible. The people of my constituency are aware of it. I don't need TMC's certificate," he said.
"It is quite obvious that he is not aware of my achievements as an MP as his attendance in Parliament is poor," Majumdar claimed. He said the Centre stopped the MGNREGA funds as West Bengal failed to submit utilisation certificates on the money spent. "There has been rampant corruption," he alleged.
