Will sit on dharna from Feb 2 if Centre does not clear Bengal’s dues: Mamata

Malda: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she would stage a demonstration in Kolkata from February 2 if the BJP-led Union government does not clear the state’s dues by February 1.

Speaking at a public distribution programme in Malda, Banerjee urged party workers and those affected by the non-payment of funds to participate in the dharna, which would be staged at the BR Ambedkar statue in Red Road area in the eastern metropolis.

“I have given them an ultimatum till February 1 to clear all dues of the state, failing which I will stage a dharna from February 2. If the dues are not cleared, I know how to get it through a movement.

“I urge all party leaders and workers to participate in the dharna… I want everyone’s support,” she said.

The chief minister claimed that the state’s dues amount to a mammoth Rs 7,000 crore for several central government-run schemes including MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (PMGAY), among others.