“They Think They Can Starve Bengal”: Mamata Banerjee Launches Explosive Attack on Central Government Over Withheld Funds

§ “They think they can starve Bengal”: Mamata launches explosive attack on central government over Rs 1.75 crore withheld funds. CM announces Rs 161 crore relief.

§ Mamata accuses Centre of deliberate financial blockade. Bengal loses Rs 20,000 crore GST; 14,794 flood families get Rs 1.2 lakh each.

§ Centre blocking Rs 1.75 crore funds. Announces Rs 161 relief for 14,794 families. Details of GST dispute & Bhutan compensation demand.

§ West Bengal CM launches scathing attack over fund withholding. Rs 1.75 crore blocked, Rs 20,000 crore GST loss. Latest political developments.

SILIGURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the central government during her North Bengal visit on November 9, 2025, accusing the BJP-led Centre of deliberately attempting to “starve Bengal financially” by withholding critical development funds. In a charged administrative meeting at Uttarkanya, the state’s branch secretariat in Siliguri, Mamata declared, “They think they can defeat Bengal by starving us. They don’t know—Bengal’s greatest strength is its people. The soil of Bengal speaks volumes that many cannot see.”

The Chief Minister’s two-day visit to North Bengal comes as the region continues recovery from devastating floods and landslides that claimed approximately 40 lives in October 2025, displacing thousands of families across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts.

Massive Relief Package: Rs 161 Crore for Flood-Affected Families

During her administrative review meeting with District Magistrates of all five North Bengal districts, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a comprehensive relief package worth Rs 161.33 crore for reconstruction of homes destroyed in the recent natural disasters. The assistance will directly benefit 14,794 families across the state with funds being transferred immediately through direct bank transfers.

“Today, we are providing Rs 161 crore and 33 lakh to 14,794 families across all districts whose homes suffered severe damage in natural disasters. The money will reach them directly through their bank accounts,” Mamata stated during the media briefing following the administrative meeting.

Each family whose home was destroyed or severely damaged in the floods and landslides will receive financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh under the state government’s Banglar Bari housing scheme for reconstruction. This represents one of the largest single-phase disaster relief disbursements in West Bengal’s recent history.

Agricultural Relief: Seeds and Inputs for 1.37 Lakh Farmers

Beyond housing reconstruction, the West Bengal government distributed agricultural relief materials including crop seeds, vegetable seeds and other farming inputs to 1,37,000 flood-affected farmers across the disaster-hit districts. The state allocated Rs 10 crore specifically for this agricultural rehabilitation program, recognizing that many farming families lost entire harvests to the unprecedented flooding.

“Farmers whose agricultural lands were damaged will receive compensation under the crop insurance scheme. We are conducting surveys of agricultural land damage and farmers will also receive crop insurance benefits,” the Chief Minister announced.

“Conspiracy to Starve Bengal”: Explosive Charges Against Centre

The most dramatic moment of Mamata Banerjee’s North Bengal visit came when she directly accused the central government of orchestrating a systematic financial blockade against West Bengal. Her accusations centered on multiple fronts: withheld development funds, stopped welfare scheme allocations and discriminatory GST revenue sharing.

“There is no medicine for jealousy. They don’t know that Bengal’s greatest asset is the intelligence of its people. Bengal’s soil speaks many truths that others cannot see with their eyes,” Mamata declared, her voice rising with emotion.

The Chief Minister’s specific allegations paint a picture of unprecedented Centre-state financial conflict,

· Central Funds Allegedly Withheld: Mamata claimed the central government has blocked approximately Rs 1.75 lakh crore in funds meant for various centrally-sponsored schemes and development projects in West Bengal. This figure includes allocations for MGNREGA (100-day work scheme), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (housing), Jal Jeevan Mission (drinking water), rural roads and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education).

· Four Years Without MGNREGA Funds: “For four years, all our funds have been stopped. Despite court orders, the 100-day work scheme money has not been released. Our Karmashree project continues and people are getting work. But rural road work has been stopped,” Mamata stated.

· GST Revenue Dispute: The CM accused the Centre of taking GST collections from West Bengal but diverting the state’s share to BJP-ruled states. “The Centre is taking our GST money and giving it to other states during distribution. They do nothing except border management and defense—everything else is done by the state,” she charged.

The Numbers Behind the Dispute: What Centre Claims vs. State’s Allegations

The financial standoff between the central government and West Bengal presents starkly contrasting narratives. The Union Jal Shakti Ministry, responding to Mamata’s flood management fund allegations, stated that Rs 1,290 crore has been released to West Bengal under the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP). The Centre further claimed no funding proposals for flood management projects are currently pending from West Bengal.

However, the state government maintains that substantially larger amounts—totaling approximately Rs 1.75 lakh crore—remain blocked across multiple schemes and programs. The discrepancy highlights the depth of the financial dispute between the two governments.

MGNREGA Stoppage: The central government stopped funding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in West Bengal from December 2022, citing allegations of massive corruption and beneficiary list irregularities. Despite Calcutta High Court orders in June 2025 to restart the scheme by August 1, MGNREGA remains inactive in West Bengal with the Centre now approaching the Supreme Court against the High Court order.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Blockade: In 2022, the Centre stopped releasing PMAY-G (rural housing) funds to West Bengal, alleging massive corruption in the beneficiary list prepared in 2021. The Centre demanded that West Bengal file an FIR against officials involved in the alleged corruption, which the state government disputes.

The Union Rural Development Ministry informed a parliamentary panel that Rs 7,888.67 crore meant for West Bengal under PMAY-G for 2024-25 remains unreleased due to the state’s failure to submit utilization certificates (UCs) for previous allocations.

Jal Jeevan Mission Suspension: Over the past 13 months, the Centre has stopped disbursing funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission (drinking water supply) in West Bengal, again citing non-submission of utilization certificates and alleged under-spending of allocated budgets.

GST Revenue Crisis: Bengal Loses Rs 20,000 Crore

One of Mamata Banerjee’s most significant allegations concerns the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue-sharing arrangement between the Centre and states. The Chief Minister claimed West Bengal will suffer a revenue loss of approximately Rs 20,000 crore due to recent GST reforms with no compensation provided by the central government.

“This money has simply been cut from our GST share. Again, a revenue loss of Rs 20,000 crore has been inflicted on us. How will I run the state in such circumstances.?” Mamata questioned during a recent public address.

She further elaborated: “The Centre is taking away all the money collected through the tax. They are only indulging in wasteful expenditure, diverting all funds to BJP-ruled states. I believe the states’ collections should be returned to the states.”

In a remarkable admission, Mamata Banerjee stated: “I believe GST should be withdrawn. Ours was the first political party to support the idea. It was a blunder. A very big blunder.” This represents a significant political reversal, as the Trinamool Congress had initially supported GST implementation when it was rolled out in July 2017.

According to data presented in Parliament, West Bengal’s share in national GST collections declined from 4.6% in 2019-20 to 4% in 2024-25, despite absolute revenue increasing. However, the state reported 11.43% growth in GST collection for fiscal year 2024-25, surpassing the national average by two percentage points.

Banglar Bari: State’s Response to Central Fund Blockade

In response to the Centre’s stoppage of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana funds, the West Bengal government launched its own state-funded housing scheme called “Banglar Bari” (Bengal’s Home) in 2024. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that since coming to power in 2021-22, the state has constructed approximately 46 lakh houses under the Banglar Bari scheme, entirely from state resources.

“Even though all our funds have been blocked for four years, and despite court orders, we have continued our work. We have built 46 lakh Banglar Bari houses. This year too, we are constructing more houses,” Mamata stated during the North Bengal visit.

The scheme represents West Bengal’s attempt to maintain welfare delivery despite what it characterizes as a financial blockade from the central government. However, the Banglar Bari program has faced its own controversies with protests erupting in multiple districts over alleged favoritism toward Trinamool Congress supporters in beneficiary selection.

Political Context: Assembly Elections on the Horizon

Mamata Banerjee’s North Bengal visit carries significant political weight as West Bengal prepares for Assembly elections expected in 2026. North Bengal, particularly the tea belt constituencies has historically been challenging territory for the Trinamool Congress.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP captured most seats in the North Bengal tea belt, where approximately 12 constituencies are decided by votes from the tea plantation population. Political observers note that Mamata’s initiatives—distributing land pattas (ownership documents), inaugurating health centers and crèches in tea estates and providing flood relief—represent strategic moves to win back these constituencies.

“The initiative to boost health infrastructure, as well as setting up crèches for the convenience of women workers, supplements the state’s move to grant land rights to people. It is evident that the Chief Minister and her party are focusing on wooing these constituencies,” noted a political analyst tracking the region.

The Chief Minister inaugurated 15 crèches across the North Bengal tea belt—eight in Alipurduar, six in Jalpaiguri and one in Cooch Behar—during this visit, facilities developed by the state labor department considering the healthcare challenges faced by tea estate workers.

The Bhutan Water Release Controversy

Adding another dimension to the flood crisis, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed neighboring Bhutan for the devastating floods in North Bengal, claiming that water released from Bhutan through transboundary rivers caused the disaster.

“We have faced losses due to water coming down from Bhutan through various rivers. We want them to give us compensation,” Mamata declared during her visit to Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district, located just 30 kilometers from the Bhutan border.

She demanded the formation of an Indo-Bhutan River Commission with West Bengal as a member to address cross-border water management issues. The Chief Minister announced that a meeting on this issue is scheduled for later in the month, where West Bengal will send an official representative.

The Union Jal Shakti Ministry responded by stating that India is already engaged with Bhutan through multiple bilateral mechanisms including the Joint Group of Experts (JGE), Joint Technical Team (JTT) and Joint Experts Team (JET) in which West Bengal officials participate as members. The 11th JGE meeting held at Paro, Bhutan, recently took up eight additional rivers entering West Bengal from Bhutan for joint study related to erosion and sedimentation problems.

Virtual Inauguration of Multiple Development Projects

Despite her criticisms of the central government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee used her North Bengal visit to showcase state-funded development initiatives. Through virtual mode from Uttarkanya, she inaugurated multiple projects across North Bengal districts:

· Distribution of land pattas (ownership documents) to residents of various northern districts

· Inauguration of health centers in tea estates across Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar

· Launch of 15 crèches in tea estates to support women workers

· Foundation laying for the Dudhiya Bridge with an additional pucca (permanent) bridge in Mirik

· Initiation of multiple road reconstruction projects in flood-affected areas

“Road work has started. The Dudhiya Bridge is being constructed. A pucca bridge is also coming up alongside in Mirik. All remaining work is progressing. Agricultural land surveys are ongoing and farmers will also receive crop insurance,” the Chief Minister detailed.

The Broader Narrative: “Stepmotherly Treatment” of Bengal

Mamata Banerjee has consistently framed the funding disputes as evidence of systematic discrimination against West Bengal by the BJP-led central government. This “stepmotherly treatment” narrative has become central to her political messaging, particularly in the run-up to Assembly elections.

“Apart from defense and border management, the Centre has no other fiscal responsibility. Everything is done by the state. I have seen advertisements of health insurance being made free. It is a complete lie. In our state, we had to pay Rs 20,000 crore from our GST pool,” Mamata stated.

She further alleged: “The Centre should clear our dues first. They are taking funds from us; they are obliged to return the state’s money to the states.”

The Chief Minister has employed multiple strategies to highlight her claims including writing numerous letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, staging dharnas (sit-in protests), approaching courts and conducting extensive media campaigns. In September 2025, she even threatened to place advertisements in newspapers to ensure people understand the financial losses West Bengal has suffered due to central policies.

Centre’s Counter-Narrative: Compliance and Corruption Allegations

The central government has consistently responded to Mamata’s allegations by citing compliance failures and corruption concerns. According to a detailed report by The Federal, West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress government failed to meet several Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) guidelines, including,

· Missing DISHA Meetings: The state skipped six consecutive years of mandatory District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meetings, which are critical for implementing and monitoring centrally-sponsored schemes. Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized that this is “not a procedural lapse but a structural failure that undercuts core mechanisms of transparency, coordination and corrective governance.”

· Non-Submission of Utilization Certificates: The Rural Development Ministry informed a parliamentary panel that West Bengal’s failure to submit UCs for previous allocations is a primary reason for pending releases under multiple schemes.

· Alleged Beneficiary List Corruption: The Centre has alleged massive irregularities in beneficiary lists for both PMAY-G and MGNREGA, demanding corrective action and FIRs against officials involved—actions the state government maintains it has already taken.

· Name Change Violations: The Centre objected to West Bengal changing the names of centrally-sponsored schemes (such as renaming PMAY-G as “Banglar Bari”), viewing this as an attempt by the state to take political credit for central programs.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose added to the controversy by requesting a report from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the utilization of Rs 1.17 lakh crore in central funds allocated for 2023-24, prompted by allegations that the state failed to submit several Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports to the Assembly.

Impact on Ground: Development Work Stalled

The funding dispute has had tangible impacts on development work across West Bengal. Multiple welfare and infrastructure projects face delays or complete stoppages,

· MGNREGA Inactive Since December 2022: Rural employment opportunities have been severely affected with lakhs of workers unable to access guaranteed employment under the scheme.

· Rural Housing Construction Halted: Without PMAY-G funds, the state has had to rely entirely on its own resources for the Banglar Bari scheme, constraining the scale and pace of housing delivery.

· Rural Roads and Connectivity: “Rural road work has also been stopped,” Mamata stated, indicating that centrally-funded road construction projects are not progressing.

· Jal Jeevan Mission Delayed: Drinking water supply projects in rural areas have slowed due to the 13-month funding freeze.

· Education Schemes Affected: The Chief Minister mentioned that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (universal education program) funds have also been impacted.

To compensate, the West Bengal government has launched its own state-funded alternatives, including the Karmashree employment program to replace MGNREGA, though the scale and financial sustainability of these alternatives remain questioned by opposition parties.

The Human Cost: 40 Lives Lost, Thousands Displaced

Beyond the political and financial disputes, the North Bengal floods and landslides that triggered this latest round of administrative action claimed approximately 40 lives and left thousands of families homeless across five districts. The disaster, caused by a combination of heavy rainfall, water releases from Bhutan and landslides in hilly terrain, destroyed homes, agricultural land, infrastructure and critical documents.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced comprehensive support for affected families,

· Rs 5 lakh compensation for families of each deceased person

· Special Home Guard employment for one family member of each deceased

· Rs 1.20 lakh housing reconstruction assistance for each affected household

· Special camps to help citizens recover lost documents (Aadhaar, PAN cards, land records)

· New study materials for affected students

· Food kits and disaster management supplies distributed continuously

· Crop insurance for farmers whose agricultural lands were damaged

· Relief camps with continuous food, shelter and medical facilities

“While death cannot be compensated, we shall give Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased and a Special Home Guard’s job to one kin in each such family as a special gesture,” Mamata stated.

The Chief Minister personally visited multiple affected areas including Hasimara in Alipurduar, Nagrakata, Chalsa, Mal, Kurseong and Mirik, interacting with displaced families at relief camps and overseeing restoration work.

Looking Ahead: Can the Impasse Be Resolved.?

The Centre-Bengal funding dispute shows no signs of immediate resolution. Both sides remain entrenched in their positions with the central government insisting on compliance and utilization certificates before releasing funds, while the state government maintains it has met all requirements and faces politically motivated discrimination.

The upcoming Assembly elections in 2026 will likely intensify this political confrontation with both the Trinamool Congress and BJP using the funding issue as a key electoral narrative. For the TMC, it represents evidence of central victimization; for the BJP, it highlights alleged state-level corruption and mismanagement.

Meanwhile, the people of West Bengal—particularly those in disaster-affected North Bengal—continue to bear the human cost of this political and financial deadlock, caught between competing narratives while awaiting relief, reconstruction and development that both levels of government claim they are trying to deliver.

Conclusion: Bengal’s Fight for Financial Justice

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s November 2025 North Bengal visit encapsulates the complex interplay of disaster management, political confrontation and Centre-state financial relations in contemporary Indian federalism. Her explosive accusations against the central government—framed as a deliberate conspiracy to “starve Bengal”—reflect deep-seated political tensions that extend far beyond mere administrative disputes.

The Rs 161 crore relief package for 14,794 flood-affected families demonstrates the state government’s commitment to disaster rehabilitation, even as it claims to operate under severe financial constraints due to blocked central funds. Whether this represents effective governance despite central obstruction (as the state claims) or inefficient use of available resources (as the Centre alleges) depends largely on one’s political perspective.

What remains undeniable is that West Bengal faces genuine development challenges—infrastructure gaps, disaster vulnerability, rural employment needs, housing shortages—that require substantial financial resources from both state and central governments working in coordination rather than confrontation.

As Bengal’s soil continues to “speak volumes that many cannot see,” as Mamata poetically declared, the question remains whether these competing voices can find common ground for the benefit of the people they both claim to serve.

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