West Bengal BJP leadership reaches out to Muslims, says Trinamool has done nothing for minorities

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:07:00 +0000

A file image of West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Samik Bhattacharya.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Extending an olive branch to the minorities of the State, West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Samik Bhattacharya on Saturday said that Muslims are the highest number of victims of political violence during the regime of the Trinamool Congress.

“Muslims are the ones dying and Muslims are the ones killing. The number of Muslims who are killed in West Bengal is not the same as the number of Muslims killed in Uttar Pradesh. This is not the picture of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat. How many Muslims have been killed in Gujarat in the past 15 years or in Uttar Pradesh, nowhere close to those who died in West Bengal,” the BJP leader said, pointing at high numbers of incidents of political violence in the State.

Mr. Bhattacharya said that in several areas of the State, the BJP cannot put its candidates or even raise their flags, yet there is factional feud resulting in killing of the minorities.

Admitting that Muslims in West Bengal do not vote for the BJP, the BJP president said that the question needs to be put to members of the community as to what the Trinamool Congress has done for Muslims in the State. Mr. Bhattacharya, however, also added that those who think that they can come to power only with the support of 28 % electorate (Muslims comprise 27 % of electorate) are also mistaken.

The West Bengal BJP president made the remarks while addressing a gathering of BJP Minority Morcha in the city. The remarks, which come ahead of the Assembly polls in the State, marks a significant departure from the earlier stand of the saffron party where it did not engage with minorities. The minorities in West Bengal have overwhelmingly supported Trinamool Congress since 2011 Assembly polls and despite the Left parties, Congress and other smaller parties trying to win the support of minorities, not much dent has been made to the Trinamool’s Muslim vote bank.

After the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, when the BJP Lok Sabha seats dropped from 18 to 12 in West Bengal, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had called for putting an end to the party’s slogan of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas pointing out that the Muslims did not vote for the BJP.

“Stop Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. No need for minority morcha [of the BJP],” Mr. Adhikari said .Speaking on Saturday, Mr. Bhattacharya said that the BJP does not believe in the distinction of ‘majority’ vs ‘minority’. “ We have a minority morcha so that the divide between the majority and minority is bridged” the WB BJP president said.

Highlighting that lakhs of youth from Muslim families of the State are going out to work as migrant workers, Mr. Bhattacharya said that while poor Muslims are forced to send their children to madrasahs the leaders from the community send their children to elite schools.

Trinamool has no intention of providing jobs says Suvendu

Mr. Adhikari Saturday (February 14, 2026) launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress government, accusing it of “deceiving” the state’s youth and failing to address the unemployment crisis.

The Leader of Opposition said that the Budget, which was tabled by the State government earlier this month, has made it clear that the Trinamool Congress government is not providing any jobs. The BJP leader also claimed that the Banglar Yuva Sathi scheme announced in the budget to provide a monthly allowance programme for unemployed youth is nothing but a bluff.

Mr. Adhikari claimed that the ‘Yuva Sashri’ scheme, launched in 2013 to provide allowances and jobs to 17 lakh applicants, had effectively been terminated, with no funds allocated since the 2017-18 financial year.

Published – February 15, 2026 02:55 am IST

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West Bengal Government Tables Rs 3.89 Lakh Crore Budget In Pre-Poll Year

admin — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:07:29 +0000

Kolkata:

The TMC government of West Bengal on Wednesday tabled a Rs 3.89-lakh crore budget for 2025-26, increased dearness allowance (DA) by four per cent state government employees, and focused on rural development, prioritising infrastructure and welfare ahead of next year’s assembly elections.

The government unveiled a series of infrastructure and agricultural development projects in its budget, allocating significant funds for rural connectivity, river erosion control, and agrarian support initiatives.

In the last full-fledged budget of the Mamata Banerjee government before the 2026 Assembly elections, Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya tabled in the assembly a Rs 3.89 lakh crore budget.

In the previous budget, the state saw an allocation of Rs 3.67 lakh crore, marking an 8 per cent increase from the previous year 2023-24.

Bhattacharya announced that the state government would increase the Dearness Allowance (DA) by four per cent from April 1, 2025.

This would bring the total DA to 18 per cent for over 10 lakh state government employees and pensioners.

The move is aimed at addressing ongoing concerns raised by the employees who have been agitating for better compensation.

“With this four per cent increase in DA, we are reaffirming our commitment to the welfare of our employees,” Bhattacharya said, underlining the state’s focus on the well-being of its workforce.

In the budget speech, Bhattacharya said a total of Rs 44,139.65 crore has been allocated for rural development, surpassing allocations for all other sectors in this year’s budget.

Additionally, Rs 13,381.68 crore has been earmarked for the Urban and Municipal Development Department.

In the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly, rural constituencies dominate, with around 170 to 180 seats in rural areas often proving decisive in elections.

Bhattacharya highlighted an increase in funding for multiple rural-centric initiatives, including the road construction scheme ‘Pathashree’ and housing programme ‘Banglar Bari’.

Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated for the Pathashree project in the upcoming fiscal year, while the Bangla’r Bari scheme has seen an increase of Rs 9,600 crore.

This year, 12 lakh families have been provided funds for constructing permanent homes, and another 16 lakh families will benefit from the same assistance in the next fiscal year.

After the budget presentation, Bhattacharya emphasised the integration of rural and urban economies, saying, “Employment opportunities for rural people will be created, which will also nourish the urban economy. We aim to create this synergy.” In a bid to address the persistent issue of river erosion, the government set aside Rs 200 crore, which would provide much-needed relief to vulnerable riverine communities.

Further strengthening its focus on infrastructure, the government sanctioned Rs 500 crore for the construction of a 4.75 km-long bridge over the Ganga river at Gangasagar, which is expected to facilitate smooth access for pilgrims and boost local economies.

For the ‘Ghatal Master Plan’, a mega project to dredge riverbeds and strengthen embankments of at least 10 major rivers in the state, the government has allocated Rs 500 crore this year. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,500 crore.

A new project called ‘Nadi Bandhan’ was announced for river-centric areas in the state. The project has been allocated Rs 200 crore, and it will focus on measures to prevent riverbank erosion.

Bhattacharya announced that 70,000 ASHA workers will be provided with smartphones as part of the budget’s welfare measures.

There was no announcement regarding the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’, a financial assistance scheme for women, in the budget.

Speaking at a press conference after the budget was presented, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Lakshmir Bhandar is a popular scheme. Altogether 2.21 crore women benefit from it. The state government spends Rs 50,000 crore on this. Other states, especially the BJP-ruled states, are copying the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme.” She said the state budget has a vision to create employment opportunities.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the budget, BJP lawmakers staged a walkout after the finance minister ended her speech.

They raised slogans against the government, highlighting the difference between the DA given by the central government and the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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West Bengal Budget – Artifex.News

West Bengal BJP leadership reaches out to Muslims, says Trinamool has done nothing for minorities

West Bengal Government Tables Rs 3.89 Lakh Crore Budget In Pre-Poll Year