Mamata meets PM Modi, seeks release of pending state funds

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which she urged him to release pending state funds. 

"A 10-member delegation, including Trinamool Congress MPs, met the Prime Minister today," the Trinamool Congress supremo told reporters, adding that she has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

On the funds worth Rs 1.16 lakh crore pending with the Centre for the state, she said, "We raised the issue with him. I urged the Prime Minister to release the funds due to the state which is a constitutional mandatory. The Prime Minister said there will be joint meetings between officers from the Centre and West Bengal on this."

The Chief Minister added that funds for the Awas Yojana, national rural development and health mission and even the Finance Commission have been stopped.

Banerjee said that all the clarifications were given by the officers, but till date the state has not got anything.

Banerjee said that she had met the Prime Minister thrice earlier but funds were not released as yet.

She also said, “We are not getting anything from the central share for poor people. The Prime Minister listened to us and said that the officers of the centre and state will sit and decide.”

On a query regarding Trinamool Congress party MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicking Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Banerjee said, "I would not comment on the same. There is a system. I won't interfere in Parliamentary party issues."

She also said that her parliamentary party can reply to this as they were enough to take a decision.

--IANS

aks/rad