'BJP failed to learn its lessons': TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee slams BJP for withholding central funds from West Bengal ahead of elections

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, also the party’s general secretary said here on Monday that the “depriving West Bengal of central funds” that are legitimate dues for the state by the Narendra Modi government is likely to be the main political campaign theme for the ruling party for the assembly elections in the state next year.
Banerjee was replying to questions on how the TMC is preparing for the assembly polls next year, during an interaction with the media. Asked about the main issue that the TMC plans to raise against the opposition BJP in the state, he said that BJP has failed to learn from its mistakes, unlike his own party.
Elaborating on it, he said, “BJP failed to learn its lessons… They deprived the people of central funds that are due to the state and continue to do so… unlike TMC, we took our lessons in 2019 when BJP won 18 seats from the state and worked on our mistakes… which got us a thumping victory in the 2021 assembly polls. When people realise the BJP-run Centre is holding back their dues… worth Rs 2 lakh crores with which we could do so much of development for the state… it works against them.”
With a year to go for the polls, TMC is likely to revive its campaign on the Centre depriving the state of its legitimate funds, in a big way.
On the recent issue of the “EPIC scam” or the electoral rolls fraud, the TMC leader said that the party has already set up micro-level organisational committees down to block and panchayat level to prevent fictitious voters in the electoral rolls, who are already working on the ground. “Training camps for the block electoral supervisors and panchayat electoral supervisors will be completed by April 30,” he said, adding that they will verify every voter only after meeting them, to prevent any fraud.