Finance Minister Sitharaman accuses TMC of withholding central schemes benefits for political gains
By - Preeti Dalal
Update: 2024-02-27 15:17 GMT
Central Schemes withheld: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made serious allegations on Tuesday, accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal of deliberately depriving the poor of the advantages offered by central government schemes for political reasons. Sitharaman further asserted that issues such as a "poor law and order situation" and "corruption" were causing the state to stand out under the rule of the Trinamool Congress. [caption id="" data-align="alignnone" data-width="1024"] Nirmala Sitharaman's arrival in Kolkata[/caption] Highlighting what she described as "economic mismanagement" by successive state governments in West Bengal, Sitharaman remarked that the culture of syndicated crime and extortion had become synonymous with the state. She emphasized, "It is corruption, poor law and order, and extortion that are making the state stand out under the TMC rule." Responding to TMC's allegations of the Union government withholding MGNREGA dues for Bengal, Sitharaman questioned the feasibility of releasing funds "when there are 25 lakh fake job card holders." She firmly stated, "It is public money, not private property." https://twitter.com/nsitharamanoffc/status/1762493942833021158