Bengal bounty is politically biased: CPM

The Left Front and the Congress have called the Bengal-specific gifts in Mamata Banerjee’s railway budget divisionary and politically-biased.

According to them, Mamata has showered bounties on districts won by Trinamool during the Lok Sabha elections, but neglected areas where it did poorly.

The Left has accused Mamata of neglecting Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore, Burdwan and Cooch Behar. The Congress has said that the minister overlooked Malda and Murshidabad, where Congress is stronger than Trinamool. Last week, Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury, the Congress MP from Malda (west), had written to Banerjee, requesting her not to ignore the district. But that had no effect.

“Murshidabad, another Congress stronghold, has been overlooked too. Though she has tried to show that it is a pro-Bengal budget, in reality the bounties are for select areas,” a state Congress leader said. CPI(M) leaders have expressed doubts whether all populist projects would be implemented.