Mamata to Sit on 2-Day Dharna Against Centre from March 29

Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will sit on a two-day dharna from March 29 against the Centre over non-payment of dues to her state. She will sit on dharna near Kolkata’s Ambedkar statue.

“I will hold a two-day protest at the Ambedkar Statue on March 29 and 30,” said Mamata Banerjee before boarding a flight to Bhubaneswar for a three-day Odisha visit. During her stay in Odisha she will meet Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on March 23, which she called a ‘courtesy meet’.

The Bengal CM said Centre is not releasing funds to her state. She claimed that the funds had not been released even after she met the Prime Minister regarding it.

“I met the Prime Minister around six months ago in this regard and asked for the disbursement of Rs 1.15 lakh crore under various heads. I have also spoken to Amit Shah when he came here for the meeting and have written several letters to the Central government regarding this,” said Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.

She alleged that the Union Government was deliberately stopping the funds to West Bengal. “They are sending central teams and making excuses. Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) directors are acting like local BJP leaders based on the Centre’s instructions. The country cannot run like this,” said Mamata Banerjee.