JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has supported Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's claim that the central government is making states financially weaker. Gehlot took to social media on Thursday and asserted that he has echoed the same issue of states getting step-motherly treatment from the Centre on many occasions.
Gehlot tweeted his dismay at the Centre’s double standards and remarked: “On the one hand, the prime minister talks about cooperative federalism and on the other hand the states are being made financially weak.”
The CM also said that the Centre has increased the share of states in centrally-sponsored schemes and reduced the Centre's share which has adversely impacted the revenue of states. He also asserted that many states are not getting their full share from GST revenues.
In addition, Gehlot pointed out that the Centre has imposed cess on diesel and petrol and reduced basic excise duty. It has also increased the special excise duty and additional excise duty. Therefore, the share of states has significantly been reduced.
Gehlot also tweeted details about devolution, divisible pool, and the change that has been affected the sharing pattern of centrally-sponsored schemes.
On Wednesday, Gehlot had supported TMC chief Mamata Banerjee over her concerns on democracy and the Constitution. Gehlot, who was campaigning for the Congress in Assam, had asserted, "What Mamta Banerjee has rightly said that the Central government is working to weaken states. The Centre should think to strengthen the states instead of weakening them."
Gehlot was reacting to a letter written by Mamata Banerjee to several non-BJP leaders, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, wherein she had alleged that the Centre-state relations were at their worst since Independence.