New Delhi,May 4, 2012
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3384151.ece?homepage=true
In a veiled warning to the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that she would wait for a few days for her demand of a three-year moratorium on loan repayment to be accepted after which she would decide her future course of action.
“I will wait for a few days, I hope the issue will be sorted out. In democracy, talks are always good. We will keep talking. I am waiting for last 11 months for the solution,” Ms. Banerjee said after her meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“During the last 11 months, I have met the Prime Minister 10 times and the Finance Minister 20 times. I will wait for a few days, after that I will decide politically what can be done for my State,” she said while indicating unhappiness about the lack of proper response to her demand.
Ms. Banerjee said she had struggled for the welfare of the people and hoped that she “will ultimately win.”
When pointed out that there was a problem in granting moratorium on loan repayment, she said: “What is digestible to me is not digestible to the Finance Minister. The food which is digestible to my people is digestible to me. Whatever will be done, I will wait for few days.”
On the future course of action, Ms. Banerjee said “I will do politically whatever is possible for my State.”
Asked what was the Prime Minister's response to her demands, she said he was discussing the issue seriously but added that no solution had been found yet.
“We are hoping that it will be sorted out,” she said.
Justifying her demand for moratorium, Ms. Banerjee said such a step had been taken with regard to Punjab.
“Between 2000 and 2006, moratorium was given to Punjab. West Bengal has suffered for 35 years under the Left Front rule. I have inherited this heavy debt legacy and it is not my creation.”
Describing the financial condition of the State as “dismal,” she said: “We do not have funds left for health, education and developmental works. There is no money for BPL scheme also. This is a genuine demand. Even according to the Finance Ministry report, West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab are debt-ridden States.”
‘Bengal suffers most'
She said: “No other State has suffered like West Bengal. West Bengal is a special case. We have to pay Rs. 22,000 crore as interest on loan repayment on Central loan. Bengal has debt of more than Rs. 2 lakh crore Central loan.
On National Counter-terrorism Centre, she said: “We are opposing NCTC, because there are boundaries for the State governments and the Centre. No one should cross the boundaries. NCTC is intervening in the State's boundaries. It would destroy the federal structure.”
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