Kolkata, June 2 As West Bengal pressed hard for Rs 1,000 crore central assistance as cyclone relief, the Trinamool Congress today lashed out at the state government for lack of transparency in using central funds for earlier natural disasters like the Tsunami.
"
Instead of making fresh demand for central funds, the government should explain how they had utilised the funds released earlier for calamities like the
Tsunami in 2005 and for schemes like the
Ganga action plan,"
Senior Trinamool Congress leader
Partha Chatterjee told reporters here."
They (the state government) should disclose how they have utilised the funds in these areas,"Chatterjee, who is the
Leader of the
Opposition in the Assembly, said.
He endorsed party chief
Mamata Banerjee&aposs stand that central funds should be given directly to the panchayats instead of giving it to the state government.
He described as"spontaneous"the heckling of
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the cyclone-battered
Hingalganj in
North 24-
Paraganas district today by the cyclone victims."It is the spontaneous and collective anger of the people against the misrule of the
Left Front government and mismanagement of the post-cyclone situation,"the
Trinamool leader said.