Updated 27 July 2020 at 21:18 IST
For first time in public, Bengal CM directly demands release of financial dues to PM
The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic once again brought two political rivals under the same virtual frame for the generic good of the country
The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic once again brought two political rivals under the same virtual frame for the generic good of the country. In a virtual meeting between the Prime Minister and three sitting Chief Ministers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday about Bengal's preparedness to deal with COVID-19.
In not the first of sorts, Mamata Banerjee once again asked the Centre to clear all financial dues of the state to help it fight the COVID-19 pandemic effectively. However, she directly demanded it this time with the entire state and country being a witness to it.
While Mamata Banerjee mentioned that the state had spent Rs.2500 crore on COVID-19, the West Bengal Chief Minister also spoke about the damage done by cyclone Amphan on May 20 and requested PM Modi to clear the funds of Rs.53,000 crore including GST compensation of Rs.4135 crore.
"You(PM) had come here after cyclone Amphan and your Central team had visited too after that. They had submitted a report of losses worth 35,000 cr, however we have not received anything apart from the Rs.1000 crore that you had initially granted, " stated Mamata directly to Modi while all kept watching the conversation live on television.
Mamata Banerjee directly made this statement while attending a virtual program in which the PM launched high throughput Covid-19 testing facilities at the Indian Council for Medical Research’s (ICMR) national institutes in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from Modi and Mamata, the virtual meeting had Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
Published By : Suryagni Roy
Published On: 27 July 2020 at 21:18 IST