TMC MPs in RS walk out over pending dues for West Bengal, claim state ignored in Budget
New Delhi (PTI): The Trinamool Congress on Monday once again raised the issue of pending central dues payable to West Bengal and staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha shortly after the House met.
Speaking to the media after the walkout, party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose alleged that the Centre owed West Bengal Rs 2 lakh crore.
"Today, in the Rajya Sabha, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has walked out because of the manner in which Bengal has not been mentioned even once in the Budget and Bengal's dues are still being held up. Rs 2 lakh crore is due to Bengal under various heads, MGNREGA, Awas Yojana, PMAY…," Ghose told PTI Videos.
"This is a violation of the federal structure. This is a violation of Centre-state relations. It's a violation of the Constitution," she said.
Ghose further claimed that West Bengal was ignored in the Union Budget presented on Sunday.
"The manner in which the Budget chose to ignore Bengal is the reason today we have raised this issue on the floor of Parliament and walked out," she said.
Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Thakur accused the Centre of discriminating against West Bengal after the BJP faced a defeat in the state in the last assembly polls.
"Since the people of Bengal decisively rejected the BJP in 2021, the Centre has responded with vindictiveness instead of federal responsibility by blocking MGNREGA wages, withholding funds for roads and rural infrastructure, and stalling welfare-linked allocations meant for the poor and marginalised," the TMC leader said.
Asserting that this "systematic discrimination" against the state is unacceptable, Thakur said, "To protest against this grave injustice, TMC Rajya Sabha MPs staged a walkout from Parliament today. We will continue to raise our voice, inside and outside Parliament, until Bengal receives its rightful dues," she added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
