Centre a cruel govt, Gujarat will never rule Bengal : Mamata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee onMonday slammed the Centre calling it ''a cruel government'' forits meagre advance to the state after Cyclone Amphan and said''Gujarat will never be able to rule Bengal''.

Speaking on the concluding day of the last session ofthe 16th West Bengal assembly, Banerjee also took on theOpposition for criticising the vote-on-account presented byher and saying it was done with an eye on the coming statepolls.

The fiesty Trinamool Congress supremo, who wasspeaking at the debate on the Rs 2.99 lakh crore vote-on-account, said even if it was so it was done for the welfare ofthe people and claimed that her party would return to power inthe state in the coming assembly poll.

''Even if it (the vote-on-account) is what theopposition is saying, where is the problem? It is for thewelfare of the people. Some are saying we are there for a fewdays. We will be back with a huge mandate'', she asserted.

To Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of hergovernment during his visit to the state on Sunday, Banerjeelashed out saying she has never seen such a ''cruel''government as the one headed by him at the Centre.

''Now that the poll is round the corner in West Bengal,it seems that there is nothing else for BJP but Bengal. Inthis election all its leaders and ministers are coming toplaces in the state of which they do not even know.

''Gujarat will never be able to rule Bengal,'' she saidin an apparent reference to the visit of Modi and those byAmit Shah, who is scheduled to be in the state later thisweek.

Criticising the BJP-led government at the Centre, shesaid the prime minister during his visit to the state afterthe devastating cyclone Amphan had announced a mere Rs 1000crore.

''That money too was given as advance. I have neverseen such a cruel government. We had to spend more than Rs2542 crore over and above the last budget to meet thesituation due to Cylone Amphan and COVID-19,'' she said andpresented a supplementary budget on it.

On opposition's allegations of mass corruption in thedistribution of relief post-Amphan, she conceded that theremay have been some errors but they were corrected.

Banerjee said she will inaugurate a total 19 projectsin the state on Monday and Tuesday at an investment of Rs72200 crore and create employment oppurtunity for 3.2 lakhpeople.

The session concluded after passing the vote-on-account, which was presented on February 5, and thesupplemenatry budget.

Banerjee took part in the photo session of the House,which was boycotted by the opposition BJP, Left and Congressmembers. Assembly employees took part in it.