Mamata unhappy with central package as money will reach directly to beneficiaries: BJP

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday claimed that state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is criticising the economic package of Centre as money will directly reach the beneficiaries. Banerjee herself had sought a special package of Rs 10 lakh crore for states to fight COVID-19 and the Centre came up with a Rs 20 lakh crore package, but she still is unhappy, Ghosh said.

"The true beneficiaries of the package - common people - will get the amount directly online without any intermediaries. This perhaps makes her angry as her government is not getting it," he said.

In her first reaction to the 15 measures of the economic package announced by Centre on Wednesday, Banerjee termed it as a "big zero" and said it provided nothing as far as public spending, money transfer to states, MSME and unorganized sector are concerned. The Centre is transferring money of several central projects directly to the beneficiaries as, Ghosh alleged, the Trinamool Congress government had never provided any account for expenses made from central funds.

"The Centre will now be channelising money from the PM to DM for different projects so that it reaches the intended people. If possible, it will be done in case of midday meal scheme also in future to stop misuse of funds and prevent her party men from getting cut money," the BJP MP said. He said the central package will help 45 lakh beneficiaries with seed money to start projects.

He alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government is not bearing 15 per cent of train fare of the migrant labourers returning to the state causing economic hardship on them. "You (CM) are forcing the poor labourers to pay train fare from their pockets. Is that fair? You arranged two trains to bring back pilgrims of a particular community and only eight trains to bring around 12,000 of the 3 lakh stranded migrant labourers," Ghosh said.

Asked about her allegations that BJP was spreading "communal virus" in districts even during a crisis likeCOVID-19, he said,  "Mamata Banerjee herself is fanning communalism. Her party men are inciting violence in different areas, to divert attention from her failure to contain COVID- 19, and collapse of the PDS and healthcare systems." The TMC's nine-year rule is dotted with incidents of communal and political violence engineered by her party men for political gains, Ghosh alleged.