BJP, TMC spar over West Bengal in Rajya Sabha budget debate

New Delhi: BJP and TMC sparred with each other during the budget debate in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday with the former alleging that the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has hampered development by not implementing welfare schemes of the Centre and allowing infiltration into the border state while the latter alleged the Narendra Modi dispensation has discriminated against non-NDA states.

TMC floor leader in the Upper House Derek O'Brian said some key words were missing in this year's budget speech and insisted this shows the shortcomings of the budget as far as welfare of states not ruled by NDA parties are concerned.

"Search for these key words in the union budget- middle class, unemployment, falling Rupee, Jan Dhan Yojana, farmer suicides, environment, minorities, rail safety and federalism. You will not find any of these words," O'Brian said.


The TMC leader charged the NDA government with not focusing on these issues and giving step-brotherly treatment to West Bengal. The people of the state will give a befitting reply to BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bengal as well as Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

"The farmers are happy- but in Texas, not in Tamil Nadu, in Kentucky, not in Karnataka, in Wisconsin, not in West Bengal. Railway budget has grown 25 times in Gujarat, 28 times in Delhi, 24 times in Chhattisgarh but only 8 times in Tamil Nadu and just three times in West Bengal," O'Brian said.

He further said that the Centre owes ₹2 lakh crore to West Bengal.

Taking jibes at BJP poaching tainted leaders from other parties and withdrawing cases against them the moment they switched sides, O'Brian said, "Nirma (washing powder) is being used by BJP," he said, adding that the sins of these tainted leaders are washed off when they joined saffron party.

O'Brian also prophesied that the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party will oust BJP from power in the 2027 UP Assembly polls.

BJP West Bengal unit chief and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya was all praise for the budget and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for the ills plaguing the state. He described the budget as "growth-oriented, comprehensive, progressive and futuristic".

"The farmers of (BJP-ruled) Haryana are happy but the potato farmers of Hooghly are committing suicide. An exodus of merit is taking place in Bengal," Bhattacharya said, adding that the state government has delayed land acquisition for projects leading to losses and migration of people to other states for jobs.