KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respect her chair and said she never expected the PM to disrespect the state as a whole by calling its people "thieves".
Referring to the Prime Minister’s recent comments where he had stated that ‘corruption, crime and the Trinamool Congress are synonymous’, Banerjee said, “I do not expect this from the Prime Minister. I respect his chair, but he should also respect our chair. Why should he say, “I stopped the funds because there are thieves in Bengal”?”
Addressing a public meeting at Dum Dum in Kolkata on August 22, Modi had alleged, “The funds that the Centre sends to the West Bengal government do not reach the people but are entirely consumed by TMC cadres.”
Making a strong protest against the allegation, she said that it is an “insult” to the people of West Bengal.
Speaking at an administrative programme at Burdwan in the western part of the state, Banerjee also launched a scathing attack on the Centre for not giving “due and legitimate” Central funds to West Bengal. She alleged that the Centre’s “stepmotherly attitude” has put a “heavy burden” on the state exchequer.
“During our regime, we have been able to provide 76% water supply in rural areas and 78% in urban areas. We spent over Rs 38,000 crore on this. We gave land free of cost and also maintained the system. We still need Rs 65,000 crore more,” Banerjee elaborated.
“They [Centre] collect taxes from here but do not return funds to us. Now we have only one tax - GST. Funds for five schemes have been stopped. We are having to run those too,” she added.
Referring to the “double engine governments” in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar, Banerjee alleged, “Uttar Pradesh is the biggest thief. Maharashtra and Bihar, double-engine States, are the biggest thieves. How many teams did they send to defame Bengal? They sent 186 teams! Can you imagine!”
Alleging that Modi travels to West Bengal “like migratory birds ahead of the polls”, she claimed that the West Bengal Government has responded to all queries of the Centre.
“Despite this, if you give zero to a student who has answered all the questions, can they accept it? You are holding meetings with thieves and traitors and blaming Bengal. Are you not ashamed? They are shameless,” Banerjee added.
The Chief Minister also made it clear that she would not allow anyone to disrespect West Bengal.
“If you disrespect Bengal, I will be offended, as it will bother me. You can abuse and defame me all you want, but remember that I know how to fight. I have the courage. This is my soil’s strength. You cannot scare me,” she thundered.
Banerjee also said that if GST were removed on health insurance, West Bengal would incur a revenue loss of around Rs 900 crore a year.
“We said that GST should be removed for health insurance and that insurance companies should not increase the premium. We will face a revenue loss of Rs 900 crore because of this (GST removal on health insurance),” she added.
Banerjee had earlier written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her to exempt health and life insurance from GST to make medical cover more affordable for the common people.
In a major GST rate rationalisation move, a proposal to exempt health insurance and a bulk of goods from GST is expected to come up when the GST Council meets early next month. The current GST on health insurance is 18 per cent, and the share of state revenue is 9 per cent.