Mamata slams Centre while GJM accuses state govt of meddling

Prashant Acharya, EOI, SILIGURI, 20 Jan 2015: Even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Centre of choking funds to West Bengal, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri blamed the state government for disrupting development works being done by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Giri and GTA sabhasad Ramesh Kumar Alley were present at the inaugural ceremony of the Uttar Banga Utsav at the Kanchenjunga Stadium which the chief minister formally declared open. Mamata used the occasion to denounce the Centre for failing to release funds for schemes such as the JNNURM, food procurement and 100 days work.

She claimed Bengal has started seeing good days with the formation of the Trinamool Congress government, but those in power in Delhi are only delivering false speeches. “They (Centre) are not handing out much-needed funds. 

They (BJP leaders) are only hurling abuses at us. Empty stomachs do not get filled by abuses. We want rations, not bhasan (lecture),” said the chief minister.
Meanwhile, interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the function, Giri slammed the state government for hindering development projects the GTA has taken up. He said although the chief minister had agreed to hand over a number of departments to the GTA, this is still to take place. 

The departments that have been transferred to the GTA are finding it difficult to function properly due to lack of support from the state government, according to the GJM leader.
Giri said, “We have a positive mindset, but the state government is not allowing us to do our work independently.” When asked whether the chief minister and GTA chief Bimal Gurung would hold a meeting, he said the two leaders will share the same stage at the police programme in Dali on Wednesday, but a closed door meeting is yet to be confirmed.