Nothing for West Bengal in budget: Trinamool Congress leaders

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on Tuesday, 23 July, said the budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha has nothing for West Bengal and called it a budget for the ruling NDA and not for India.

"This is a 'kursi bachao budget' (budget to save the chair)," TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said.

"This budget is aimed at saving (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi's position. It is a budget for the NDA, not for India," he said.

"Last time they gave so many projects to Odisha. Now they (BJP) have won (the Assembly polls in the state), so there is nothing for Odisha. There is also nothing for Bengal," Banerjee said.

TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale alleged that there is an "open and shameless" discrimination against West Bengal in the budget.

"Open and shameless discrimination yet again in this Union Budget. Union Govt excludes only Bengal from flood relief and reconstruction funds," he said in a post on X.

"Giving funds to other states while intentionally ignoring and singling out the people of Bengal is yet another revenge for BJP's pathetic performance in elections," Gokhale added.

"West Bengal contributes significant revenues to the Union but faces pathetic targeting and exclusion yet again in the Union Budget," the TMC leader said.

Another Rajya Sabha MP of the party, Sushmita Dev, said central funds amounting to Rs 1.6 lakh crore are due to West Bengal and questioned how the budget exercise was being carried out without the census being held.

"You are calling the budget historic, but he is a king who does not know what the population is. There has been no census since 2011. If you do not know the exact numbers, how are you going to make the budget?" she asked.