Thaindian News

Kolkata, Jan 30 (IANS) Lashing out at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for overlooking the financial interests of the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her Trinamool Congress will continue to oppose its “anti-people” policies.

The Trinamool Congress supremo, who has locked horns with the central government, particularly the Congress on various issues, said her party’s primary commitment was to the masses of the state.

“Our party is committed to the masses. Just like FDI in retail, Lokayukta clause in Lokpal bill and price rise of fuel, we will continue to oppose the anti-people policies of the centre,” Banerjee said in an interview to a Bengali news channel.

The central government’s lack of financial assistance came for marked criticism.

“It has been near about eight months that the state has witnessed a change of guard. The centre is well aware of the financial crisis and the debt. But apart from blank promises, we have not received a single penny from the center,” said Banerjee

“We requested for a tax holiday because 94 percent of the state earnings goes for salaries, interests to the centre and pensions. With the remaining six percent money, it is very tough to run the state but the centre has not agreed for a tax holiday,” she said.

Banerjee had warned the central government that if the state doesn’t get its dues then the people of Bengal know how to get it.

She also took a dig at union Rural Development Minister’s Jairam Ramesh’s comment last week where he stated that the credit for bringing a “revolutionary change” in West Bengal goes to Congress as much as to its ally Trinamool Congress.

“If I had not formed the Trinamool in 1998 then the state would have never witnessed a change under the leadership of Congress. The people of Bengal know who has contributed what. It was Trinamool who had fought the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) even after facing all adversaries,” said Banerjee.

“What were they doing when I was fighting all alone against the Marxists during the days of Nandigram and Singur. At that time they were running the central government with the help of the Left,” she said.

The Trinamool is running an alliance in the state with the Congress - though it is not dependent on the party, and has repeatedly reminded the Congress leadership in Delhi to take care of its concerns or face the consequences.

The relationship between the two parties in the state had plunged to low levels over several issues and worsened to such an extent that Banerjee recently asked the Congress to quit the state coalition, if it so desired.

The Congress is heavily dependent on the Trinamool - which has 20 members in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha - to run the UPA government.