Centre's economic package a 'big zero', it has nothing for states: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Union government, claiming the special economic package announced by it has nothing of help to states and is "a big zero". Banerjee alleged that the central government was "misleading the people" during the COVID-19 crisis and was planning to "financially lockout" states.

"The special economic package announced by the Union government is nothing but a big zero. It is an eyewash to fool the people. There is nothing for the unorganised sector, public spending and employment generation," she said while addressing a press conference here. She alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were speaking in different voices over the state of the economy.

The Rs 20 lakh crore special economic package was announced by the prime minister during his address to the nation on Tuesday evening and the initial details of the stimulus were unveiled by Sitharaman on Wednesday. "Yesterday, when the PM announced the Rs 20 lakh crore package, we were hopeful that the interest of states will be looked into, the FRBM limit would be increased. But today, after the Union finance minister made the announcements, it was found that everything that was said yesterday was a bluff," Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief also asked why farmers' loans had not been waived and claimed that the Centre was "misleading and lying" to the people about the package. People had hoped from the prime minister's speech on Tuesday that states will get some aid with regard to MSMEs, employment generation, unorganised sector, public spending, additional grants and health infrastructure, Banerjee said. However, the Centre has given nothing to states, she said.

Hitting out at the Centre for allegedly not offering anything to financially starved states, Banerjee claimed that it was trying to "bulldoze" the cooperative federalism. "How will the state function... The Centre is bulldozing the federal structure... This is snatching of a state's rights and an attempt to financially lockout states. We condemn it. This is unbecoming of a democracy," she said.

"We have not been given a penny. There is no earning and only burning," Banerjee said. The chief minister alleged that the Centre usually allots Rs 14 lakh crore for MSMEs but now they have reduced it to Rs 3 lakh crore under the guise of a special economic package.

Banerjee alleged that the Centre had failed to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. "The IT cell of the BJP is using fake news and videos to instigate communal violence and malign states to shift attention from their own failures," she said. "Why did not it work towards self-reliance for the last six years? What were they doing for so long," she said while responding to Modi's call for an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India).

The BJP leadership, however, lauded the announcements made by the Union finance minister and said Banerjee's reactions are "far from reality and part of her political campaign against the BJP". "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to address the COVID-19 crisis in the state and is now trying to divert attention from her failures. Her statements against the economic package are nothing but part of her political campaign against the BJP and the Union government," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said.