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PM Kisan Yojna: The comments come in an escalating war between Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the run-up to the Bengal election in four months.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal of blocking a central benefit scheme for farmers because of its political agenda and denying funds to 70 lakh farmers in the state under the flagship PM-KISAN scheme.
Mamata Banerjee’s ideology had “destroyed” Bengal, PM Modi said, accusing the Chief Minister of “doing politics” by blocking the scheme to provide farmers ₹ 6,000 every year under ”Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi” (PM-KISAN). The comments come in an escalating war between Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the run-up to the Bengal election in four months.
“If you listen to a 15-year-old speech of Mamta Ji, then you will know how much her ideology has ruined Bengal,” he said.
“The public is watching those doing selfish politics very closely. The parties that do not speak on the benefit of farmers in West Bengal are engaged in harassing the citizens of Delhi here in the name of the farmers and are ruining the economy of the country.”
The Prime Minister was speaking at an event in which he distributed ₹ 18,000 crores to over nine crore farmers against the backdrop of unrelenting protests near Delhi over three new farm laws. He also interacted with farmers from nine states.
In his address, PM Modi wondered why there were agitations in Bengal against the farm bills yet no protests were visible against the state government’s decision to not implement the PM-KISAN scheme, in which ₹ 6,000 a year is provided to small and marginal farmers, payable in instalments of ₹ 2,000 each. The fund is transferred directly to bank accounts.
“The entire country is benefiting from the PM-KISAN programme but only one state, West Bengal, has not implemented this scheme. As a result, over 70 lakh farmers are not able to take benefit of this scheme and this money is not reaching them. This is because of politics,” the PM said.
According to him, more than 23 lakh Bengal farmers had applied online to take advantage of this scheme, but the state government has stopped the verification process.
News Credit NDTV