Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The row over the delayed monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000 to eligible women in Bengal under the Annapurna Yojana has intensified, with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee claiming that West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari threatened her with house arrest and political persecution if she dared to protest on the streets, calling it a “new low” in Indian politics.
“@SuvenduWB, while seated in a government office, has brazenly threatened me, publicly declaring that he will ensure I cannot even leave my home. I call upon the Hon’ble President of India, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India and the people of India: Is this the India envisioned by our Constitution?” she asked.
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Mamata’s remarks came hours after Suvendu targeted her over a Facebook Live video in which she criticised the BJP-led West Bengal government over the anger among several women protesters who claimed they had not received financial assistance under the Annapurna Yojana.
Taking a dig at Mamata, Suvendu, addressing a press conference on Monday evening, said she should remain on Facebook and not step out of her house, adding that he would ensure she could not leave her home.
Wondering what Suvendu meant, Mamata took to X and asked: “The words were unambiguous: ‘I will ensure you cannot leave the house.’ What exactly does that mean? House arrest? Intimidation? Political persecution? Who gave you the authority to decide who gets to move freely in a constitutional democracy?”
Earlier in the day, Mamata attacked the BJP, accusing the saffron party of going back on its pre-poll promise to provide Annapurna Bhandar monetary assistance to all women in West Bengal and of reducing the number of beneficiaries on the grounds of “ineligibility.” She said the BJP had campaigned without speaking of any such conditions before the Assembly polls.
Speaking on Facebook Live from her Kalighat residence, Banerjee alleged that the rules were brought in only after the BJP assumed power. She also questioned the state government over delays in payment, the process of deciding eligibility and reports that large numbers of women who had earlier received support under Lakshmir Bhandar were no longer getting the allowance.
“The BJP is slashing Annapurna Yojna beneficiary numbers under the pretext of ineligibility. The Lakshmir Bhandar scheme during TMC rule was meant for all,” Banerjee said. She alleged that complicated form-filling procedures and several other rules had now been imposed in the name of determining who qualified for the scheme.
She further claimed that the BJP had “violated” its pre-poll promise of extending Annapurna Yojna to all women. “We had started Lakshmir Bhandar to make women financially self-sufficient, but the saffron party is considering people’s religion and race to provide Annapurna money,” she alleged.
Referring to road and rail blockades in several districts and to protests directed at local BJP leaders and ministers over delays in disbursing the money, Banerjee questioned the government’s approach to fixing eligibility and withholding payments. “Will the BJP decide who should receive the assistance and who shouldn’t?” she said.
Banerjee claimed that among women in the state who had been receiving benefits under Lakshmir Bhandar until the Assembly elections, payments for around 75 per cent had now either been stopped or withheld. Her remarks came after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Saturday that all eligible women dependent on monetary assistance would be covered under the Annapurna scheme, even if the number of beneficiaries rose by 20-30 lakh.
The state government has said it disbursed the monthly Rs 3,000 cash assistance to 1.45 crore women in the state. However, protests broke out in several areas after lakhs of applicants were allegedly left out. Under the erstwhile TMC government, the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which provided between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 a month, covered about 2.3 crore beneficiaries.
While extending the application deadline for the scheme to July 31 for those left out of the initial list, Adhikari had also said that threats, media trials and social media campaigns would not influence the government’s decision on eligibility criteria for the assistance.
Taking a dig at the BJP administration, Banerjee said the ruling party was now focused only on filing cases against opposition workers. “Around 15,000 to 20,000 cases have so far been filed against TMC workers and supporters. In its pursuit of political vendetta, the BJP government has not had even a moment to pay attention to whether ordinary women are actually receiving money under the Annapurna Yojana or not,” she said.
Amid the row, Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Pal claimed that TMC supporters were behind the protests over the Annapurna Yojana and were instigating people to create trouble. Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh also recently said that the Trinamool Congress had “spoiled the women” by distributing Lakshmir Bhandar benefits indiscriminately. The dispute has centred on eligibility, delayed payments, protests on the ground and competing claims by the BJP and the TMC over the women’s assistance schemes.
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
