'Guv is acting as BJP agent'

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) hit out at Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar branding him as an "agent of BJP" after the latter sought details of the financial involvement in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's pet project —'Maa Canteen', saying that he "noticed unconstitutional diversion" of funds.

The project launched in February has been providing lunch to the needy at Rs 5 and has already become extremely popular in Kolkata. At each canteen, which is operational from 12:30 pm till 3:00 pm, close to a hundred people are served rice, dal, curry, and egg curry.

"We have respect for the chair of the Governor which is a constitutional post. But this person (Jagdeep Dhankhar), I am sorry to say he is an agent of the BJP and has been acting at the party's behest. The election campaign period for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls have ended on Friday and he (Dhankhar) is trying to spread canards. During the Covid period the Maa Canteen, has provided a square meal to several people at such a subsidised rate and is continuing to do so," TMC state general-secretary Kunal Ghosh said. In a letter to the Principal Secretary of the state's finance department, the Governor sought the details of the financial involvement in the 'Maa Canteen' project.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Dhankhar wrote: "Noticing unconstitutional diversion of funds for #MAA Scheme @MamataOfficial till March 31, 2021, WB Governor has sought from Finance Secretary source and amount spent in #MAA till March 31, 2021. Another revelation @DrAmitMitra. His Silence in #BGBS Report Card indicates there is all to hide." The Bengal government has allotted Rs 100 crore for the Maa canteen scheme in the state Budget.