Not a word on funds to states in budget, Centre 'cheating' federalism: TMC
New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) There was not a word on funds to states in the 2024-25 interim budget, senior TMC leader Derek O'Brien said on Thursday, accusing the central government of "cheating" federalism and committing "financial terrorism" with states.
O'Brien, whose party is in power in West Bengal, also alleged that the government has done little for women and the youth, and is yet to fulfil its promise of doubling farmers' income.
"The budget is only giving 'gyan'. There is no action on the ground," he said on the pre-election budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
"There was not a word on funds to states in the budget speech. They are cheating federalism and committing financial terrorism with states," O'Brien told reporters here as he raised the issue of "pending" dues to West Bengal. On the finance minister's statement that the government in the next budget will present a detailed roadmap to achieve 'Viksit Bharat', indicating a return of her government to power at the Centre, O'Brien said, "This is hubris. They are in a bubble and they cannot see the reality. Eventually, people will teach them a lesson".
Referring to Sitharaman's remarks that meeting the needs and fulfilling the aspirations of four "major castes" -- the poor, women, the youth and farmers -- are the government's highest priority, the TMC leader claimed that the "bottom 50 per cent the population possesses only three per cent wealth and household savings are at a 50-year low".
"Three out of four Indians cannot afford a healthy balanced diet," he said.
Talking about the youth, he claimed that in the 2023 October-December quarter, unemployment in the 20-24 age group was 45 per cent, and 42 per cent of graduates under the age of 25 were unemployed.
The Narendra Modi government has also not fulfilled its promise of doubling farmer's income and "as many as 30 farmers committed suicide every day in 2022", O'Brien said and claimed that West Bengal has tripled the income of farmers of the state. O'Brien alleged that the government has done little for women and mentioned the name of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Women wrestlers have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Singh, a former Wrestling Federation of India president. "Delhi's law and order is under the Union home ministry. Delhi has the highest crime rate against women. Three rapes happen in the capital every day," the TMC leader alleged. PTI
