Burdwan (WB): A day after skipping the first meeting of NITI Aayog, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the Centre for abolishing the Planning Commission and said “everything is hazy like a fog” on development plans and how funds would be disbursed to states.
Speaking at a state government programme here, she demanded that states must have power of taxation and threatened to lead a protest in New Delhi if the Centre did not restructure the debts incurred by West Bengal under Left Front rule. “The Centre abolished the Planning Commission. We oppose that.
Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose) conceptualised the Planning Commission. It was Netaji’s dream. We will not accept the humiliation of Netaji. Those who humiliate Netaji, how can they can think that they will get me on board on that issue?” Banerjee asked. Referring to the new body, she said, “They (Centre) are talking of ensuring development.
I do not see consistency in that. Everything is hazy like a fog. We have to see from where the funds come and how the states will get money, how work will be done and where development will happen. “We had opposed it (NITI Aayog) and had given several suggestions, but not a single one was accepted,” she said.
West Bengal skipped the first meeting yesterday of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by a host of Chief Ministers and represen-tatives from most of the states and Union Territories. Stepping up her attack, Banerjee said the Centre was realising Rs 40,000 crore annually on account of various taxes, including Income Tax, Excise and Customs duties, from the state, but Rs 28,000 crore was being taken away in the form of debts and interest repayment on central loans.
She said development works in the state were suffering as a result of this and she was somehow managing to pay the salaries of state government employees. “Why should we pay for the sins committed by the previous government?” Banerjee said referring to the Rs 2.3 lakh crore debt left by the erstwhile Left Front government.
“We want federal struc-ture to be streng-thened. States must have power of taxation,” Banerjee said adding, the states should also have powers to collect some taxes which are presently realised by the Centre. “Stop collecting taxes from the states. Let the states collect taxes. Delhi need not have to look at it. Permit all state governments to collect taxes and they will spend the money for development purposes.
“Without doing this, they are only talking big… it doesn’t take money to lecture others,” she retorted. Banerjee said, “We increased our revenues. But, the Centre is taking away our taxes. The UPA government did the same thing, but the BJP is committing excesses.” “The BJP government slashed funds for 100 days’ work.
Prices of fertilisers have been increased. Funds for PMGSY have been blocked,” she alleged and said the state government had not been paid Rs 40,000 crore by the Centre on account of 100 day’s work and rural road development.(PTI)
