West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at latter's official residence in the national capital. During her meeting with the Prime Minister, Banerjee raised several issued including GST dues for her state.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo is on a 4-day visit to Delhi and after meeting PM Modi, she directly went to meet President Droupadi Murmu at her residence.
After the meeting, TMC supremo said that she request for urgent release of funds due to state for implementation of schemes including MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojna and PM Gramin Sadak Yojna.
"I request for urgent release of funds due to state for implementation of schemes including MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojna & PM Gramin Sadak Yojna... Dues from central govt on these schemes amount to about Rs 17996 crore," read the letter submitted by WB CM Mamata Banerjee to PM Narendra Modi.
In her memorandum, Banerjee has tabulated the total amount due to the state under different schemes and benefits. The amount that is due to the state from the central government as on 31st July, 2022 has been estimated to be around Rs 1,00,968.44 crore.
Before meeting the Prime Minister, Banerjee also met her party's MPs and discussed with them the current session of Parliament and the road to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Banerjee's nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was vocal during the meeting and made suggested what issues the MPs should raise in the last few days of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, news agency PTI reported.
Both Mamata and Abhishesk categorically told party MPs not to get 'intimidated' by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
Sources close to PTI informed that the Bengal Chief Ministet will attend a Niti Aayog meeting on August 7 and is also likely to meet leaders of non-Congress Opposition parties such as DMK, TRS and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday.
Banerjee might also meet the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case.
Prime Minister Modi will chair a Niti Aayog governing council meeting on August 7, where Banerjee will also be present. In the meeting, issues related to agriculture, health and economy would be discussed. Banerjee had given the council's last year's meeting a miss. She is expected to raise the concerns of non-payment of GST dues and federalism issues at this year's meeting.