Alleging that the Centre has stopped sending funds to the state for various schemes, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday threatened to launch a nationwide stir against the Narendra Modi government if it did not change its “anti-people” policies.

The BJP-led Central government has stopped 90 per cent of its funds for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other development programmes for farmers, poor and middle-class people, she alleged at a public meeting here in Nadia district.

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“But we are continuing with the schemes by contributing from our own resources, despite financial constraints,” the Trinamul Congress chief said.

Claiming that 12,000 distressed farmers had committed suicide in the country so far, following changes in government policies, she claimed that most of the incidents were reported from BJP-ruled states.

“Gradually, the Centre will stop funding all the projects, but we will run them in the interest of the people at our own cost. (The Centre should) take lessons from Bengal as regards what we have done for the farmers,” Miss Banerjee said.

She urged the people to vote for Trinamul Congress in the upcoming panchayat elections, to continue development in the state.

Miss Banerjee alleged that 90 per cent of the funds for ICDS were stopped, besides a drastic reduction in the allocation for the 100-days’ work under the MGNREGA and other Central schemes.

Speaking about the state’s development programmes, she said, “The passage of the state budget will be expedited so that we can start the development works immediately. In our budget, we have not increased the tax burden on the people.”

Miss Banerjee on Monday came down heavily on the Narendra Modi government for declaring a health insurance scheme, Modicare, without consulting the states.

“You have decided that 40 per cent of the expenditure will have to be borne by states. Why?,” the chief minister said at a public rally in Krishnagar Government College ground. “Did you discuss with us before deciding on it? You cannot force us to pay. We would have done that on our own if we had the money,” she added.

Noting that there is already a health insurance scheme in place for around 50 lakh people, who are government employees and contractual or casual labourers, the chief minister said, “There is nothing new in this (Modicare). We cannot accept the Central government’s diktat.”

Miss Banerjee threatened to launch an agitation if the Central government decides to go ahead with the FRDI Bill. “Through this Bill, they will take away your fixed deposits. They have also said that bank would not accept cash,” she said. She also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘pakoda’ remark saying, “How do we eat pakodas if our money is not safe in the banks?”