Congress said that whatever assurances given by the Prime Minister to the state would be fulfilled.
Faced with complaints by Mamata Banerjee that the Centre has not honoured its promise of financial package to West Bengal, Congress on Monday said that whatever assurances given by the Prime Minister to the state would be fulfilled.
"The Trinamool Congress leader is our ally. I will not make any comment on her statements."
"But I assure her that if the Prime Minister and Pranab Mukherjee had made any commitments to the people of Bengal even before the elections, they will be implemented", party spokesman Rashid Alvi told PTI from Lucknow.
His statement came close on the heels of Banerjee accusing the Centre of not giving any financial package to the state since her government came to power.
"The Centre has not given us anything. Before the election, the Prime Minister had said the state will get help. I have held five meetings with Pranab Mukherjee. The media also wrote that big help was coming. Nothing happened. But I am against begging and we will hold our heads high in whatever we do," she said in interviews to news channels.
Banerjee said the Centre took away revenue from Income Tax and the state's only sources of revenue were sales tax and state excise.
"My priority is to bring about a turnaround in Bengal. In the past eight months since my government took over, we have achieved 21 per cent growth. The Centre has not given us anything. Whatever we have done, we have done on our own. Despite financial difficulties, we have paid the salary to our employees and 10 of arrears DA," she said.
Banerjee also alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not call her during her anti-land acquisition agitation at Singur because he did not want to annoy the CPI(M).
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}