New Delhi, February 6
Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a sharp attack on the West Bengal government’s budget, stating that while the country is moving forward on the path of development, transparency and inclusive progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the budget of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal reflects appeasement and imbalanced priorities. While addressing a press conference at the BJP Headquarters in New Delhi today. Dr. Trivedi stated that the West Bengal government has allocated ₹5,713 crore for Minority Affairs and Madrasas in its budget, whereas only ₹1,400 crore has been earmarked for Industry and Commerce. It was further stated that Mamata Banerjee has diverted the entire treasury of patronage towards ‘Maulvis, Muezzins, and Madrasas’ instead of focusing on ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush.’
BJP National Spokesperson mentioned that ₹5,713 crore has been allocated for Minority Affairs and Madrasas, whereas only ₹1,400 crore has been allocated for Industry and Commerce. “That means just ₹1,400 crore for industry and commerce, while ₹5,713 crore has been earmarked for minority Madrasas. For Information Technology, ₹217 crore has been allocated, while ₹5,700 crore has been set aside for minority Madrasas. Only ₹82 crore has been allocated for Science and Research. This is the same land of West Bengal that produced great scientists like Satyendra Nath Bose, Jagadish Chandra Bose and Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, yet today only ₹82 crore has been allocated for Science and Technology, while ₹5,113 crore has been earmarked for minorities and Madrasas”, he said.
Dr. Trivedi asserted that provisions of ₹920 crore and ₹810 crore have been made for the development of the northern and western parts of West Bengal respectively. “There is no objection to providing funds to Madrasas, but on one hand it is said that the educational condition of the minority community is poor, and on the other hand, salaries are being given only to Muezzins, many people may not know that they are the individuals who give the call to Azaan over loudspeakers. This clearly indicates that the budget presented by Mamata Banerjee reflects complete indifference towards development, and instead of ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush,’ affection has been directed towards Maulvis and Madrasas. In place of ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush,’ the entire treasury of patronage has been spent on ‘Maulvis, Muezzins, and Madrasas’. It would not be entirely correct to blame the West Bengal government for this, as their intentions have already become clear”, he added.
Dr. Trivedi also referred to Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement where she mentioned that a 30 per cent community could resort to road rage. It was questioned whether this allocation had been made out of affection or out of fear, as she herself had stated that road rage could occur. Dr. Trivedi highlighted that in 2021, Trinamool Congress’s chief strategist Prashant Kishor had stated that their counting begins with 30 per cent.
BJP National Spokesperson remarked that on one hand, 78 out of 87 castes within the Muslim community were granted OBC status thereby extending constitutional patronage and now financial patronage is also being extended, despite knowing that a very large share of this will go to specific beneficiaries. A key concern highlighted was that no residential or residency proof is being sought for the funds allocated to Maulvis and Muezzins. “This clearly reveals the ideological direction of the INDI alliance, whose distortions are visible from Tamil Nadu to West Bengal”, said Dr. Trivedi.
Dr. Trivedi emphasized that responsibility does not lie with the All India Trinamool Congress alone. There exists a segment within the minority community that, it was claimed, demonstrates its ability to exert pressure to bend governments and so-called secular parties to its will. Summarizing this, it was stated that power is being displayed with the message that “Jhukti hai duniya jhukaane wala chahiye,” while for Hindu society the refrain becomes, “Hansti Hai Duniya, Ladaane Wala Chahiye”. It was further emphasised that divisions are being stoked across regions, North versus South, between states, in the name of language, and along caste lines. A direct question was posed to Mamata Banerjee: when ₹5,700 crore was allocated to Maulvis and Madrasas, why was such injustice done to Maa, Maati, Maanush.
