Mamata asks PM for `20Kcr aid package, but skips review meet
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a special relief package of `20,000 crores from Prime Minister Narendra Modi while meeting and briefing him separately on Friday afternoon on the damage caused in the state due to “very severe” Cyclone Yaas following his arrival at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Midnapore after doing an aerial survey of the devastation here while flying from the neighbouring affected state Odisha.
Submitting a preliminary report to Mr Modi, the Trinamul Congress supremo, however, skipped the review meeting chaired by the PM, apparently due to the presence of her protegeturned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, the new Leader of the Opposition in the state.
The CM, who later flew to Digha, the state’s famous beach town in East Midnapore which was ravaged by the cyclone, said: “I, accompanied by state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, handed over a report of the
damage and losses to the PM at Kalaikunda. I told Mr Modi: ‘This is our report. Now do whatever you think is best. So far we have ascertained a loss of `20,000 crores.’”
She added: “There are two good schemes in our report to the PM. One is a package of `10,000 crores for Digha’s development. Another is a package of `10,000 crores for Sundarbans’ development. Though we may not get anything, I told the PM: ‘I came here to meet you since you wanted to after traveling such a long distance. I also needed to visit Digha as per my schedule.’ Taking his permission, I then left.”
According to state government sources, the separate meeting by the CM with Mr Modi took place only after the PMO accepted a request for it. West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Mr Adhikari, who attended the review meeting, later expressed their anguish on Twitter over the CM’s absence.
Mr Dhankhar said: “It would have served interests of state and its people for CM and officials @MamataOfficial to attend Review Meet by PM. Confrontational stance ill serves interests of the state or democracy. Non-participation by CM and officials not in sync with constitutionalism or rule of law. At the Review Meet by PM #CycloneYaas to assess damage caused. CM and officials @MamataOfficial did not participate. Such boycott not in consonance with Constitution and federalism. Certainly, by such actions, neither public interest nor interest of state has been served.”
Mr Adhikari alleged: “Today is a dark day in India’s long-standing ethos of cooperative federalism, a principle held sacred by PM @narendramodi. CM @MamataOfficial has shown once again that she is insensitive to the sufferings of the people of West Bengal. On previous occasions, PM @narendramodi has reviewed floods, cyclone situations with different CMs who belonged to non-NDA parties. None of these CMs behaved the way Mamata Didi behaved today. There is a time for politics and a time for governance. Didi can’t comprehend that.”
Later, many senior BJP leaders and Union ministers attacked the TMC chief. Though Ms Banerjee on Thursday assured that she would attend the PM’s review meeting, her mood changed when she came to know at night about the inclusion of Mr Adhikari’s name in the meeting among others by the Centre, sources said.
The state government objected to it, but got no response from the Centre, sources claimed.
The state government objected to it, but got no response from the Centre, sources claimed. Before meeting the PM, Ms Banerjee made it clear that she would not attend the review meeting with Mr Modi.