Centre should distribute money accumulated in disaster funds among all states: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday questioned the Centre on its expenditure out of "disaster funds" and urged the union government to distribute "that money" among all the states irrespective of the political party in power.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday questioned the Centre on its expenditure out of "disaster funds" and urged the union government to distribute "that money" among all the states irrespective of the political party in power. Banerjee also claimed that states were not receiving their GST dues from the central government or any other financial aid.

"Tell us where have you spent the money you received for the disaster funds. Distribute that money among all the states. I am not asking to give the money to us only, but I am speaking for BJP-ruled states, Congress-ruled ones... "I want Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, and everybody to get it. Nobody is receiving their dues (of the GST, IT)," she told reporters at the state secretariat.

Banerjee also slammed the Centre for its decision to privatize the Railways, SAIL, the civil aviation sector, and coal sector, wondering how will the country become 'aatmanirbhar' in such a situation. "Aatmanirbhar Bharat will be reality only when people of the country get food and have the energy to work. If people are starving, how will they work," the chief minister said.

She has been demanding that the central government release "West Bengal's dues of Rs 53,000 crore".