KOLKATA: Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, the lone MP of Communist Party of India (Marxist) from West Bengal, has alleged that the All India Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee has pushed the state into a “debt trap” by distributing doles and funding festivals to win over voters instead of creating employment opportunities.
In an interview with PTI, Bhattacharya claimed that funds for these welfare schemes are being borrowed from the market, making West Bengal one of the most debt-stressed states in the country. He added that the burden of repayment would ultimately fall on the people.
According to the state’s interim budget for the financial year 2026–27, West Bengal’s outstanding debt is projected to exceed Rs 8.15 lakh crore. The revised estimate for the 2025–26 fiscal stands at Rs 7.62 lakh crore.
Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha MP and senior lawyer, is contesting from the Jadavpur Assembly constituency in southeast Kolkata, a seat once held by former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya from 1987 to 2011.
The TMC government currently provides Rs 1,500 per month to general category women and Rs 1,700 to women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities under the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme. Additionally, Rs 1,500 per month is given to unemployed youth under the ‘Banglar Yuva-Sathi’ scheme, along with honorariums for imams, muezzins, and purohits.
“These measures are destroying the state’s basic economic structure,” Bhattacharya said.
Responding to Mamata Banerjee’s earlier claim that the Left Front had left behind a debt burden of Rs 2 lakh crore in 2011, he argued that the figure had accumulated since 1947 and was largely invested in education and healthcare infrastructure.
Accusing the TMC government of spending on “non-productive” activities such as advertisements, festivals, and religious honorariums, he said, “These are unconstitutional.”
Bhattacharya also alleged that both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the TMC are engaging in faith-based politics. “The BJP strongly promotes Hindu interests. Mamata Banerjee also does so, but attempts to balance it by offering benefits to other communities,” he said.
He noted that while Durga Puja has long been celebrated in West Bengal, organisers traditionally did not seek direct financial assistance from the government. “Now, the government provides funds directly to puja committees. The BJP has adopted a similar approach in Odisha,” he claimed.
The CPI(M) leader further alleged that the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is being subtly implemented in the state, promoting a blend of religion and politics.
Bhattacharya also accused the state administration of widespread corruption, including in sectors such as education and healthcare. “For the first time in the history of constitutional democracy in West Bengal, the entire administration is being used for corruption,” he alleged.
He has been involved in several legal cases against the TMC government, including those related to alleged irregularities in school job appointments and the payment of dearness allowance to state employees.
“If people are aware of their rights and do not accept corruption as a norm, they will vote against the TMC. Otherwise, the outcome is uncertain,” he said.
On the law-and-order situation, Bhattacharya remarked, “The less said, the better. There is effectively no law and order.”
He further alleged that individuals attempting to file complaints against those associated with the TMC face intimidation and pressure to settle matters privately.
Expressing confidence in the youth vote, he said, “The educated younger generation is disillusioned with the TMC’s false promises.”
The Left Front failed to secure any seats in the 2021 Assembly elections. However, Bhattacharya believes that young people now recognise the lack of opportunities in education and employment.
“There are no jobs in the state. Engineering colleges that once saw high demand during Left Front rule are now struggling due to poor employment prospects,” he said, adding that many young people are leaving West Bengal in search of better opportunities.
Outlining his priorities, Bhattacharya said his primary goal is to restore West Bengal’s “glorious past” based on secular and democratic principles.
“My sole agenda is to uphold completely secular politics without religious bias,” he said, while accusing both the BJP and the TMC of being “anti-secular.”