Bengal govt spent Rs 292 crore in last two years in scam-related court cases: Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has spent Rs 292 crore behind different scam-related court cases in the last two years, especially to challenge orders allowing central agency probe into such cases, the leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, claimed on Monday.

“While Rs 292 crore has been drained out of the state exchequer, Trinamool Congress as a party spent another Rs 32 crore from the funds it collected through electoral bonds from unknown sources. So the state government and the party together spent Rs 330 crore in the last two years in scam-related cort cases,” Adhikari told mediapersons on Monday.

The BJP leader also said that such huge expenses show how desperate the state government is to protect its corrupt practices and the offenders.

“This is happening when the state government is unable to spend money for necessary expenditures for public good due to lack of funds,” Adhikari said.

The leader of opposition has also written to Parshottam Rupala, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, alleging the renaming of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) in West Bengal.

Adhikari has requested the minister to take appropriate measures against the state government for renaming a central scheme, which according to him, has become a regular practice of the Bengal government.

In the letter, Adhikari also said that the state government always looks at central schemes as opportunities for siphoning money. He claimed that PMMSY in West Bengal has been renamed as ‘Banga Matsya Yojana’, which is nothing but a hollow brand name without any budgetary outlay or provision.

“It would be unfair and and a great disservice if the state government is allowed to get away with its unethical ways. It’s my firm belief that you would intervene in this issue and take appropriate measures as you deem fit and proper in this situation,” Adhikari’s letter read.

–IANS