Central minister accuses Bengal government of politicising central funds

Union minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday accused the West Bengal government of failing to utilise central funds properly and politicising the issue of financial assistance from the Centre.

While explaining the significance of the Union Budget, Yadav, who is in Kolkata, also launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over pending dues to state government employees. The Chief Minister has repeatedly alleged that the Centre has withheld Rs 2 lakh crore, which the state owes. Trinamul Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has also raised the issue in recent weeks.

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Asked whether he would refute the allegation, Yadav refrained from directly countering the claim or commenting on the figures cited by the Chief Minister. Instead, he alleged that the state government itself had kept its employees’ legitimate dues pending for years. Referring to the ongoing dearness allowance (DA) case, Yadav said: “Mamata Banerjee is perhaps the only Chief Minister who is fighting a legal battle against her own government employees. Have you seen such a Chief Minister anywhere?” He pointed out that while the Seventh Pay Commission has been implemented across the country, nearly 20 lakh state government employees in West Bengal are still battling over Sixth Pay Commission benefits. Citing the recent Supreme Court observation on the DA matter, Yadav said the court had clearly stated that DA is a rightful entitlement meant to help employees cope with inflation.

“You went to the Supreme Court over SIR. You could have gone for your employees too. Instead, you fought against them and lost. Now, you should apologise to them,” he said. Yadav further alleged that the state government was attempting to make the SIR process opaque. He accused the Mamata Banerjee government of “administrative failure, compromising national security, and lack of transparency.”

Referring to land issues related to border fencing along the India-Bangladesh frontier, he claimed the state was delaying land allocation despite court directives.