Kolkata, March 30 (IANS) Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said that, if necessary, his party would withdraw candidates from all 291 Assembly seats in West Bengal if the BJP provides proof that the Centre has released funds to people of the state under the PM Awas Yojana.

Addressing a public meeting at Jhalda in Purulia district, Banerjee clarified that his statement was not merely an emotional outburst, but an announcement made on the basis of specific conditions.

He asserted that the ruling party at the Centre has long been financially depriving West Bengal.

In particular, the Trinamool Congress has repeatedly raised grievances regarding the non-receipt of Central allocations for rural development and various social welfare schemes. In this context, he issued a direct challenge to local BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato.

“If he (Jyotirmay Singh Mahato) can prove that, over the last five years, PM Modi’s government has contributed even a mere 10 paise towards the housing scheme for the poor, then the Trinamool Congress will withdraw its candidates from all 291 seats,” he said.

Through this statement, he sought to amplify the allegations of financial deprivation of West Bengal levelled against the BJP.

He further argued that the BJP, having secured the votes of the people of West Bengal, subsequently deprived those very people of their rightful financial entitlements.

“The Central allocations remain stalled across various sectors — ranging from the housing scheme to the ‘100 days’ work’ under MGNREGA. This election presents an opportunity to deliver a fitting response to this deprivation. Do not give a single vote to the BJP for depriving people of their rights,” he said.

Banerjee also claimed that there is no clear record of what the BJP has actually accomplished for West Bengal over the past five years.

According to him, the Central government has not contributed a single new penny; instead, it has multiplied the suffering of the common people by repeatedly forcing them to stand in long queues.

--IANS

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