Parties in power at Centre, West Bengal not enemies but political rivals: M Venkaiah Naidu

KOLKATA: Stating that the parties in power at the Centre and West Bengal were not enemies but only political rivals, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the two should work together for development.

"We should not consider one another as enemies. We may be political rivals. We are all given the responsibility to develop the country, the state, the urban local bodies," Naidu told a conference on 'Urban Governance' here.

"Prime minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, (state urban development) minister (Firhad) Hakim, chairmen of municipal bodies, we all should think in terms of giving attention to development," he said.

Naidu's statement came in the wake of Sunday's Niti Aayog meeting which was not attended by Mamata Banerjee.

"No one from the West Bengal government has come to the meeting," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said after the meeting.

Naidu said there could be competition but, "It should be healthy. Each one of us should have proper understanding, cooperation and coordination. This is the need of the hour."

State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said that the state government was not getting funds for projects which were sanctioned.

The state government should get Rs 1,500 crore from the Centre for projects which were cleared, he added.