Kolkata: Former Union minister Babul Supriyo, who joined Trinamool Congress recently, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of not having faith in Bengalis and failing to establish a pleasant bonding with the people of the state.
This is the first time when the former Union minister spoke openly about the Prime Minister and expressed his annoyance over the neglect shown to the MPs from Bengal in terms of allotting "significant" berths in Modi's Cabinet.
Supriyo, the two-time MP from Asansol, joined Trinamool Congress on September 8 and vowed to work for the people of Bengal under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Supriyo said: "I have realised during my stint of seven years in Delhi, that the Prime Minister does not have faith in Bengalis. At the same time, he was not able to establish a pleasant bonding with the people from the state." He said this while interacting with the media after reaching Howrah from Delhi.
"Forget a Cabinet rank minister from Bengal. No one from Bengal has been made even a Minister of State with an Independent charge. I am not saying only about myself. Even senior leaders like Ahluwaliaji, who came from Congress, were not given any Independent charge," he said.
Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia is a two-time MP from Bengal. In 2014, he got elected from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency and in 2019 he became MP from the Burdwan-Durgapur Assembly constituency.
"I felt that there is some sort of indifference towards those who got elected from Bengal," he said.
Supriyo was first inducted in Modi's Cabinet as Minister of State for Urban Development; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Later, his portfolio was changed to Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. On July 7, he was dropped from the Union Cabinet.