BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday (October 3) demanded a CBI probe into the alleged swindling of central funds in West Bengal while accusing the ruling TMC of indulging in a “big scam”.
Adhikari alleged that thousands of village heads belonging to the Trinamool Congress, in connivance with state government officials, were involved in corruption of thousands of crores of rupees about centrally-funded works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA).
"It is a big scam. It will turn out to be the biggest scam after Independence," Adhikari claimed, while slamming "bua-bhatija", a reference to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
"In West Bengal, more than 1 crore fake job cards were generated. In the last 9-10 years, Rs 54,100 crores were provided by the Central Govt and out of this Rs 4,000-5,000 Crores were taken away by the fake job holders. We don't want the MNREGA's work to stop...but we want legal action against the fake job card issue. Govt of India had sent teams for all the complaints that were received. The reports said that there was corruption...This is not a small amount. There should be a CBI probe, there should be a special CAG within a stipulated time," he said.
TMC leaders including Abhishek Banerjee were in the national capital protesting against the alleged withholding of the funds to West Bengal under a few central schemes. Reacting to the development, Adhikari accused them of carrying out a fabricated campaign.
Claiming that the TMC is losing its base in West Bengal, the BJP leader said that the party is protesting in the national capital to retrieve its shrinking support base.
It has become TMC's habit of doing politics on every issue and dreaming of power at the Centre and that is why it has joined the INDIA bloc of "ghamandia" (arrogant) parties, Adhikari alleged.
He claimed that the TMC leaders are staying in a five-star hotel and “doing a drama”.
"TMC a party of goons"
Adhikari dubbed TMC as a “party of goons” and said that it has no intention to deliver central schemes.
"The TMC is a party of goons. It has a three-point agenda -- nepotism, corruption, and appeasement. It has no intention to effectively deliver schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) or MGNREGA to beneficiaries and instead aims to swindle the central funds," Adhikari said.
To a question about Abhishek Banerjee's reported statement that his party is ready for a court-monitored probe, the BJP leader described him as the de facto chief minister and said the state government can ask the court for such an investigation.
The BJP leader further dismissed TMC’s charge of lack of support from the Centre on MGNREGA, and said that West Bengal government was allocated Rs 14,985 crore during the Congress-led UPA regime while it shot up to Rs 54,156 crore under the NDA government.
During the UPA, the state government received only Rs 4,466 crore under the Indira Awas Yojna while the NDA government provided it Rs 30,000 crore, he said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders held a sit-in at Rajghat on Monday to protest against the Centre. Top party leaders, including Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, convened a meeting of party leaders ahead of the party's two-day protest against the Modi government’s alleged apathy towards West Bengal, in New Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
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