E-Paper
Pranab to discuss with PM on Mamata's plea for financial help
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said he would discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the plea by chief minister Mamata Banerjee for a financial package to bail West Bengal out of its economic woes, but "would not commit" anything right now.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said he would discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the plea by chief minister Mamata Banerjee for a financial package to bail West Bengal out of its economic woes, but "would not commit" anything right now.
"The chief minister spoke in detail on the state's financial situation at the NDC meeting yesterday. And day before yesterday she had also spoken to the Prime Minister. I will now speak to the PM and then we will see what can be done," Mukherjee said.
"And I am not commenting anything right now in this regard," he said when a reporter asked for his reaction on the special financial package from the Centre sought by Mamata earlier.
On Saturday at the NDC meeting, she had asked the Centre to treat West Bengal "differently" and sought a debt restructuring plan on the ground that the state had accumulated a debt burden of almost Rs two lakh crore due to the Left's "misrule".
Mamata, whose party Trinamool Congress is a key ally in the UPA government, met the Prime Minister in Delhi on October 21 and sought the Centre's help in improving the state's poor financial health.
She had said West Bengal should not be compared with other states as "no development had taken place in the state because of the misrule for the last 35 years".
Mamata had also sought a moratorium for at least three years on repayment of loan by the state, keeping in view its financial condition.
The state government, led by Mamata Banerjee, had earlier sought a special financial package of Rs 1,900 crores from the Centre soon after coming to power in the state.
