Centre not providing funds that are due to Bengal: Mamata

Alleging that the central government was not providing the funds which were due to the state, West Bengal Chief Minister on Thursday said those amounts would have helped the state carry out relief work in the Cyclone 'Bulbul'-hit areas. Banerjee expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would keep his promise of helping the state in dealing with the relief work in cyclone-affected areas.

"Around Rs, 17,000 crore is due to us from the Centre. If they had given us that due amount, we could have used that to carry out relief works," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat on Thursday.

She said she would write to the Centre in connection with the dues. The CM also asked people to refrain from playing politics in relief distribution.

"It was a big cyclone. Instead of standing by the affected people, some are playing politics and indulging in vandalism. I would urge them to refrain from it. This is not the time to do politics," she said. The individuals or BJP mouthpieces who are "playing dirty games" should stop, the chief minister said.

Banerjee also stressed that the central and the state governments have specific roles to play and they must work together in this situation.