Mamata likely to visit Delhi next week; may meet PM to push for release of pending Central funds

Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit New Delhi next week on a three-day trip, during which she may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for the release of pending Central funds, according to sources. According to a state government official, the total pending amount has now crossed Rs 2.27 lakh crore. Sources also said that the Chief Minister’s Office had approached the Prime Minister’s Office for an appointment.

It was learnt that during her meeting with the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister is expected to raise the issue of withheld funds under key schemes such as MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana, which are vital for rural employment and housing initiatives in Bengal. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government has been accusing the Centre of deliberately withholding funds due to political bias for a long time. Chief Minister Banerjee on several occasions attacked the Centre from her public meetings for not clearing the state’s dues. Sources in the Trinamool Congress stated that the Chief Minister of Bengal, who is also the party chairperson, is likely to inaugurate the newly established TMC party office during her stay in the national capital. Meanwhile, Banerjee had skipped the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in Delhi that was chaired by the Prime Minister last week. Nobody has, however, confirmed the exact reasons why Banerjee skipped the meeting. It was learnt from sources that the NDA-led states were allotted more than 15 minutes to speak during the NITI Aayog meeting while the Bengal Chief Minister was given only five minutes.