‘Centre gives crores to Maha, K’taka, ignores North Bengal flood victims’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) long-standing allegation of the Centre’s “step-motherly” approach towards Bengal seemed vindicated as the Modi government rushed Rs 1,950.80 crore to Maharashtra and Karnataka for flood relief, while calamity-hit North Bengal was left high and dry.

Calling the Centre’s approach vindictive, the ruling party in Bengal alleged that the Modi government has once again “abandoned” the people of Bengal.

In a post on X, Trinamool Congress wrote: “The vindictive @narendramodi Govt. has once again abandoned the people of Bengal in their hour of need. While North Bengal reels from catastrophic floods and landslides that have ravaged lives, homes and livelihoods, the Centre sits silent, refusing even a single rupee of relief to our state.

“HM @AmitShah rushed ₹1,950.80 crore to Maharashtra and Karnataka to douse their flood crisis, yet left Bengal out in the cold. The Modi-Shah combine is weaponizing federal funds as revenge for the humiliation they suffered in Bengal in 2021. While the Centre released ₹13,603.20 crore from SDRF and ₹2,189.28 crore from NDRF to other states this year, Bengal remains conspicuously absent from that list,” Trinamool wrote further.

Relentless rains and landslides ravaged North Bengal, claiming over 20 lives and leaving thousands homeless in several areas of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Mirik earlier this month. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the affected areas after the disaster and supervised the relief and rescue operation.

During that time, the Chief Minister sharpened her critique against the Narendra Modi-led central government, saying no assistance was given for the North Bengal disaster, and also highlighted a staggering backlog of funds for the 100-day work under the MGNREGA scheme—pending for over four years—that has crippled rural employment and development efforts.

“Political spite is being practised in the name of governance. This is deliberate financial strangulation, a cruel, calculated attempt to make ordinary citizens pay the price for their democratic choice. To the Bangla-Birodhi Zamindars in Delhi: you can try to starve Bengal into submission, but you will only deepen the resolve of a people who will not be intimidated,” Trinamool Congress wrote on social media. “The step motherly treatment you meted out today will be repaid with the same medicine at the ballot box,” Trinamool added further.