New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, alleging that the Union Budget had ignored West Bengal and that the Centre was withholding nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in pending dues owed to the state.
The protest came shortly after the start of proceedings in the Upper House, with TMC MPs accusing the Narendra Modi-led central government of systematic “discrimination” against West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is currently in Delhi, and the party appears to have stepped up its political offensive against what it calls continued central neglect.
Explaining the walkout, Sagarika Ghosh, TMC’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, told news agency PTI that West Bengal did not find a single mention in the Union Budget.
“We walked out of the Rajya Sabha today because the budget did not even mention West Bengal once. The Centre has withheld the state’s legitimate dues. Under schemes such as MGNREGA, housing projects and others, West Bengal is owed around Rs 2 lakh crore,” she said.
The TMC has argued that such actions are damaging India’s federal structure and undermining Centre-state relations. After exiting the House, TMC MP Mamatabala Thakur accused the Centre of adopting a vindictive approach since the BJP’s defeat in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
“Ever since the BJP lost in 2021, the Centre has been acting out of political revenge. Funds for the 100-day work scheme have been stopped. Money for road construction and rural development is also being denied,” Thakur said, adding that the party’s protests would continue until the pending dues are released.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sharply criticised the Union Budget soon after it was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday. Describing it as a “bundle of lies,” Banerjee said the budget offered nothing for ordinary people or social security, and accused the Centre of depriving West Bengal because of its electoral setbacks in the state.
Echoing her remarks, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also slammed the budget, calling it “directionless, baseless and devoid of any clear objective,” while reiterating allegations of financial discrimination against the state.
