Mamata Banerjee slams Nirmala Sitharaman's "biased" comments on Bengal corruption

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her comments in Parliament about corruption within the Trinamool Congress.

Speaking to the media, Banerjee said that Sitharaman should not concern herself with Bengal and called the remarks biased.

"Nirmala Sitharaman's statement against Bengal is biased and not based on facts. She should not focus on Bengal. The Union budget is merely election-oriented. What happened to their Ujjwala scheme? What is its future?" she said.


Sitharaman had earlier launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha while responding to discussions on the budget. "It’s ironic, Trinamool, which means grassroots, now symbolizes harassment," she stated.

The Union Finance Minister accused the ruling party in Bengal of "institutionalizing corruption" and becoming a "byword for exploitation."

Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee and others had previously referred to the budget as “Bengal virodhi.” Banerjee claimed that the Centre had failed to release Bengal’s legitimate dues and criticized Sitharaman’s remarks, calling them biased and unsubstantiated.

Banerjee also expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged non-release of the state's dues by the Centre.

Additionally, Banerjee alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government did not provide accurate death tolls related to the Maha Kumbh stampede. "Many people died in the Maha Kumbh incident, but the death toll was not accurately reported. We had to conduct post-mortem exams on victims from Bengal. The event was hyped, yet there were no proper arrangements at the venue." At least 30 people were killed, and 60 others were injured in the stampede during the Maha Kumbh Mela last month.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, during her budget speech, stated that the state's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) had grown by 6.8% in 2024-25, outpacing India's overall growth rate of 6.37%. She emphasized that Bengal's economy has shown "resilience" in agriculture, industry, and services.