Requested FM Sitharaman to stop misappropriation of developmental funds in Bengal: LoP

Kolkata, July 11: West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said that he met the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and requested her to stop the "diversion" and "misappropriation" of the centrally sponsored schemes and welfare funds by the state government.

The LoP also handed over a communique to the Finance Minister where he gave details on how alleged diversion and misappropriation of the welfare funds are being done to delay the ensuing financial meltdown in the state.

“After the derailment of industrialisation combined with ‘dole politics’ and ‘vote bank politics’ West Bengal is heading towards widespread financial meltdown. The state is in a jobless pandemic. Now the fear is that the development and welfare funds meant for the people might get unethically diverted, delayed, mismanaged and misappropriated to somehow delay the ensuing financial meltdown in the state,” read the LoP’s letter.

In such a situation, Adhikari, added, in the letter, a close vigilance and scrutiny are needed to be maintained in the public interest so that the state government can be checked before “misuse” or “squander” of the funds.

Adhikari also met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him about the post-poll law and order situation in West Bengal.

“He enquired about the victims of the post-poll violence and extended full support regarding the abatement of the same. I handed over a USB drive to him, which contains video footage of the Chopra public flogging incident, Cooch Behar disrobing incident of a lady BJP minority morcha karyakarta, Bankra gang war between two factions of Trinamool Congress, and a Trinamool Congress panchayat member in Murshidabad roaming around with crude bombs and the Ariadaha incident,” Adhikari said.