West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the state, at the Raj Bhavan on Friday evening. She termed it as a courtesy meeting as per protocol. Banerjee said she also took up the issue of the state’s pending dues with the Prime Minister.
“I mentioned the issues of the state to the prime minister, besides having a chat with him,” Mamata Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.
Asked about the issue of the Centre’s dues to the state, which the ruling TMC has been raising attention towards frequently, Banerjee said, “I raised that matter also.”
Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day tour of West Bengal over Friday and Saturday, stayed the night at Raj Bhavan.
The Chief Minister’s convoy entered the Raj Bhavan (the official residence of the governor of West Bengal) shortly after the prime minister arrived there.
Governor C V Ananda Bose received the Prime Minister at the Raj Bhavan and posted on his official social media account on X.
The Governor attended the prime minister’s official programme at Arambagh earlier in the day. During the event, Modi inaugurated, dedicated, and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over ₹ 7,200 crore.
In December 2023, Mamata Banerjee had met Prime Minister Modi along with senior members of TMC in New Delhi to press for the release of the state’s dues.
According to the party, the Centre owes ₹ 1.18 lakh crore to West Bengal.
The Union government has stated that it has released on Thursday two tranches of tax devolution to all states. West Bengal has received ₹ 10,692 crore, which is the fourth highest amount after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
The state government commenced payment of dues to approximately 30 lakh MGNREGA workers on Monday, amounting to ₹ 2,700 crore that was pending since March 2022.
Withholding West Bengal’s MGNREGA dues by the Centre has been a prime issue in the state’s political discourse for over a year.
Bengali