The ongoing war of words between the Mamata Banerjee government and the Congress over the issue of financial assistance to West Bengal escalated on Tuesday.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi challenged West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra to deny that an allocation of
Rs. 7,800
crore was made to the state. "West Bengal government and the finance minister are deliberately misinforming the people of the state."
Singhvi insisted "this kind of misinformation should be desisted from as facts are sacred even if opinions vary" and said the Bengal Congress will come out with a detailed statement on Wednesday regarding the funds released to the state by the Centre.
Singhvi and Mitra, who joined the Trinamool Congress after working as Ficci secretary general for several years, have been locked in a verbal duel on the issue.
On his part, Mitra maintained that no central funds were received by the cash-strapped state. The Trinamool government has been seeking a special economic package to bail out the state, which was saddled with a debt burden of R2.3 lakh crore by the previous Left Front regime.
Trinamool has been at loggerheads with the Congress and the Centre on several issues ever since their coalition came to power in the state last year.
Last month, the Congress had sought rapprochement with Banerjee to check the downward spiral in its alliance.