Mamata vs Sitharaman – economic mismanagement driving industry out of Bengal: FM Sitharaman, Speaking at an event in Kolkata, the finance minister said that economic mismanagement of West Bengal was driving industry out and a "nexus of corruption and syndicated crime" paralysing the state

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has called out the West Bengal government for its "irresponsible" policies. Speaking in Kolkata on February 27, Sitharaman said the state had fallen from far from its golden days and called on its people to not tolerate the "absolutely irresponsible" state government.

"You should get back your mojo. You should get back the strength. How long will you tolerate this irresponsible government?" Sitrharaman asked while speaking in Kolkata at an event 'Talk on Viksit Bharat and Eastern India' organised by the socio-cultural organisation 'Khola Hawa'.

"I may not have been born in Bengal, but Bengal has played such a wonderful role for this country, all through history. Your thought leaders, your industry leaders, you stood out in culture, you stood out in music, you stood out in knowledge. Now tell me one parameter on which you are standing out," she said.

According to Sitharaman, the economic mismanagement of West Bengal had driven the industry out of the state, listing power shortages, poor law and order, and "uncontrolled trade unionism" as some of the factors.

"There is no ease of doing business in Bengal. The nexus of corruption and syndicated crimes is paralysing the state," she added, commenting that the state's finances are also constrained by high indebtedness and committed expenditure to service the debt and pay pensions.

"Manufacturing has become low value, policy flip-flops have all brought in this environment where industry thinks 'the state is hostile, we can't do anything more'."

Sitharaman said the Union government's emphasis remains on the eastern states and they have to be the engine of India's growth if the country is to become developed by 2047. And while politics, she said, was not stopping the Centre from working for the people of the state, she questioned if the state government had the same intentions.

"What are the schemes which the poorest of the poor need, which would hold them back in Bengal? Ayushman Bharat…' We shall not implement Ayushman Bharat in Bengal'. Now, politics has an end to itself; somewhere you have to draw the line. Are you having politics to deny certain things for yourself or are you denying the common, poor public? If you want to give a better system for them, give them! But why do you deny something which is coming?" she said.

"And then you say 'the east will have to be helped, east is going to be the engine, east has got to be developed, they have languished for a long time.' Who is not allowing this development to happen in the east, we should think for ourselves."

Commenting on the Centre's ongoing row with the state government related to the release of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme, Sitharaman said as many as 25 lakh fake job cards had been found in the state.

"Isko paisa de, na de? Kiska paisa? Mera baap ka paisa hai kya? Na. Taxpayer ka paisa hai bhaiyya. Main kaise du? (Should I give money for this? Whose money is it, my father’s? No, it is the taxpayer's money. Why should I give it then?)" the finance minister asked.

Citing the example of the aspirational districts programme, Sitharaman said that more than a third of the 112 districts were from Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.

"No response was received from the state of West Bengal – no aspirational district at all (from the state). As a result, the progress which is being made at the district level has not reached Bengal. You have denied yourself that kind of a push being given not at the overall state level but at the level of the district," she said.

On education, Sitharaman said that while the youth of West Bengal are very capable, they need opportunities to rise. However, the quality of education had fallen in the state that was once only second to Kerala in terms of literacy.

"Today, the population which is 80 years or above was that population which benefited by that kind of education system which prevailed in those two states… If you take a section of 10-14-year-olds today, their literacy levels are far below Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra," Sitharaman said.