Kolkata, Feb 20 (PTI) West Bengal Assembly Speaker and Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharjee on Thursday criticised opposition BJP MLAs, including economist Ashok Kr Lahiri, alleging that they lacked the courage to listen to responses to their criticism raised during the budget discussion.

During her budget reply in the Assembly, Bhattacharjee pointed out that no opposition members were present, except ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui.

Speaker Biman Banerjee also cautioned opposition legislators, urging them to ensure their presence, especially during ministers' responses to questions raised in the House.

If this continues, some steps might have to be taken to prevent such situations, he warned.

While delivering her reply, Bhattacharjee defended the state's borrowing and asserted that West Bengal had not violated the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) norms.

She cited a National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) report that analysed 21 states' debt-to-GSDP ratios. The report ranked Bengal among the top four fiscally prudent states, along with Gujarat, Odisha, and Maharashtra, while several BJP-ruled states lagged.

The finance minister accused the Centre of withholding funds for key welfare programs, including MGNREGA, drinking water mission, and health initiatives.

The dues under the health mission and related alone have crossed Rs 4,000 crore, she said.

Despite that, the West Bengal government continues to support these projects to ensure their implementation, Bhattacharjee said.

She highlighted that Rs 15,000 crore allocated for housing, currently classified under revenue expenditure in the budget, would ultimately become a capital asset upon project completion, effectively making it as good as capital expenditure.

Addressing concerns over unemployment and migration, the minister said, "No state can restrict workers from moving elsewhere. Just as some Bengal workers migrate for jobs, many from other states also come here." She referred to National Statistical Office (NSO) data, noting that Bengal's unemployment rate stood at 5.7 per cent', lower than the national average of 6.4 per cent. In comparison, Assam recorded 8.2 per cent, Bihar 8.7 per cent, Chhattisgarh 8.6 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 5.9 per cent, and Rajasthan 9.7 per cent.

On the issue of fake job cards under MGNREGA, Bhattacharjee countered allegations against Bengal, stating that BJP-ruled states had higher instances of fraudulent job cards, citing figures from Uttar Pradesh (89 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (34 lakh), and Madhya Pradesh (32 lakh), whereas Bengal's cancellations stood at 20 lakh.

"I have great respect for the Union Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman), but it is unfair to single out Bengal as corrupt and withhold funds," Bhattacharjee remarked.

Sitharaman seems to have been misled by certain narratives, she added.

Dispelling concerns over tea garden privatisation, Bhattacharjee said that tea plantation areas in the state would remain under leasehold arrangements.

Concluding her address, she described the budget as "socially inclusive, development-oriented, and holistic. PTI BSM NN

FRBM compliance upheld, finance minister defends borrowing and accuses centre of withholding welfare funds during budget reply. The Finance Minister defended the state's borrowing and asserted compliance with Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management norms, citing an NCAER ranking that placed the state among fiscally prudent peers, and accused the central government of withholding funds for welfare schemes including MGNREGA, drinking water and health missions; she stated the state continues to support implementation despite outstanding dues and explained that a housing allocation now treated as revenue expenditure will become capital assets upon completion.