BJP Launches Scathing Attack on Bengal's Vote-on-Account Budget
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal launched a fierce critique of the state government's vote-on-account budget on Thursday, labeling it as "lacking vision" and accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of merely repackaging old welfare schemes as new initiatives.
Budget Lacks Financial Substance, Says BJP Leader
Ashok Lahiri, a senior BJP figure and former economic adviser to the Union government, expressed deep disappointment with the financial statement. "We expected the government's annual financial statement. Surprisingly, there was nothing on that," Lahiri stated. He further elaborated that the document reads more like an election manifesto than a concrete budgetary plan, with no clear mention of how proposed projects would be funded.
Lahiri also referenced Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent comments on the Union Budget, saying, "We didn't understand what the CM meant when she called the Union Budget 'humpty dumpty'. Today we realized she was talking about the state budget."
Financial Crisis and Social Welfare Concerns Raised
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari highlighted a looming financial challenge, pointing out that the state government must pay Rs 11,000 crore to its employees from March following a Supreme Court order on dearness allowance. "The government is on the verge of being insolvent. Forget about social security schemes, how will they fund salaries and pensions of employees?" he questioned.
Adhikari criticized the budget for its lack of new social welfare measures, noting that aside from increasing the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme from February, there were no significant announcements. He contrasted this with Trinamool's election promises in Goa, where they committed Rs 5,000 to women, but offered a lower amount in Bengal. "If elected to office, BJP will give Rs 3,000 to every woman under the scheme," Adhikari pledged.
Allegations of Repackaging and Unemployment Benefits
The BJP leader accused the state government of simply renaming existing schemes, such as changing Yuvashree to Yuva Sathi, without introducing substantive improvements. He also questioned the timing of proposed unemployment benefits, set to start in August, given that the vote-on-account is valid for only four months. "This vote-on-account budget is silent on industrialization or creating employment opportunities," Adhikari emphasized.
He further alleged that the government had scrapped the industry incentive scheme, discontinued at least 30 social welfare programs, and made no allocation for migrant workers despite the Chief Minister's call for their return. "This is nothing but a manifesto before polls," Adhikari concluded.
Budget Allocations Under Fire
The Bengal BJP also criticized specific budgetary allocations, questioning the distribution of funds. They pointed out that while Rs 920 crore was allocated for north Bengal development and Rs 1,484 crore for industries and enterprises, a significantly higher amount of Rs 5,714 crore was proposed for minority affairs and madrassa education. This disparity, according to the BJP, reflects misplaced priorities in a budget that fails to address core economic issues.
The criticism underscores the ongoing political tensions in West Bengal, with the BJP positioning itself as a vigilant opposition ahead of potential electoral battles, focusing on economic governance and fiscal responsibility.
