Nirmala Sitharaman slams TMC govt for West Bengal's 'decline'

Kolkata, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress government of bringing shame to West Bengal through industrial and societal degradation, and corruption. She also alleged that under the TMC rule, the condition of the state has worsened when compared to the Left regime.

Interacting with prominent personalities of West Bengal here, she claimed that though "Maa, Mati, Manush" was the slogan of the ruling party, all three - women, land and people - were defamed under the TMC government.

West Bengal's monthly per capita expenditure in both rural and urban areas was among the lowest in the country, Sitharaman said.

In rural and urban Bengal, it is in sixth and eighth positions from the bottom, she said.

"It is lower than the eight northeastern states," the union finance minister added.

The industry is dwindling in West Bengal due to rampant extortion and corruption, Sitharaman alleged.

She claimed the state lost chip manufacturing to Assam due to the absence of a proactive government.

"It is the responsibility of the people of Bengal to bring back the glory in manufacturing, which was 24 per cent in 1947, but has dropped to less than 3 per cent now," she said.

She criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for depriving the common people.

She also highlighted the financial misappropriation of Rs 2 lakh crore mentioned by CAG in 2021, in the school jobs scam.

About Sandeshkhali where local TMC leaders were accused of sexual assault and land grab, Sitharaman claimed that the TMC government protected the main accused for 55 days and is now trying to intimidate the suffering women.

She was alluding to TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh's arrest on February 29 after being on the run for 55 days.