Non-BJP ruled states were snubbed at council meet: Mamata

West Bengal Mamata Banerjee’s visit to the national capital would add further momentum to the political buzz over “third front”.

Banerjee met Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar on Tuesday evening at her South Avenue residence in New Delhi. Furthermore, there is a high speculation over “informal” talks between two leaders over a possible Federal Front.

However, currently both the chief ministers are ensuring that their parties work in close cooperation. Mamata will also meet Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday.

Banerjee is also likely to meet Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav during her Delhi-visit, sources said.

The Bengal CM  is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to voice her grievances over issues that she raised during the recently concluded “Inter-states-council meeting” in the Capital. Banerjee had serious reservations on the formation of Standing Committee of Inter-State Council before the meeting. She claimed that states ruled by the BJP and it’s allies got special attention during the Inter-State Council meeting. She also claimed that the agenda of the meeting was set keeping the upcoming Assembly polls in mind.

She also raised the issue of abolition of Planning Commission during the meeting. 

According to her, earlier before finalization of any plans or schemes, state chief ministers were taken into confidence, but now only select issues were deliberated in the sub-groups under the Niti Aayog. Banerjee also stressed that co-operative Federalism entailed extensive interaction between the Centre and states in suitable platforms, where all issues were resolved keeping both national and the states’ interests in mind.

On the issue of states’ finances, Banerjee had pointed out how Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were reeling under an even bigger financial crisis than West Bengal.  In this context she urged Prime Minister Modi to form a Committee with CMs of relevant states, who were grappling with a financial crisis and facing difficulties in repayment.

Apart from this West Bengal also has withdrawn its financial support to 39 major schemes like the National e-Governance Action Plan, Modernisation of Police Force, Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan, etc. 

However, the state has expressed its support over introduction of Good and Service Tax Bill. Banerjee also took up the “Aadhaar-issue”, where the government decided to accord statutory status to Aadhaar to ensure that benefits of  government subsidies directly reach the needy after the 2016-17 budget session. She said on Tuesday that , “Where the Centre is going to make Aadhaar cards compulsory, there are aged people who are in no position to go through elaborate formalities required for Aadhaar cards. So this is worthless.”

The TMC supremo has also written to the Ministry of Minority Affairs voicing her grievances over the decision of the HRD ministry linking  scholarship of students to their Aadhaar documents from universities. The Chief Minister is accompanied by Mukul Roy, her key strategist and TMC’s face in the national capital. Mamata also visited Parliament on Tuesday where she met many  non-BJP leaders like Ramgopal Yadav and Jaya Bachchan of SP and Dilip Tirkey and Abhinav Mohanti of BJD. She also met MoS Parliamentary Affairs and MP from Darjeeling SS Ahluwalia.