West Bengal’s simmering SIR controversy boiled over on Thursday with BJP leader Dilip Ghosh launching a blistering critique of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In Malda, he categorically stated that Banerjee would ignore Supreme Court views, no matter the outcome of her recent petition heard on Wednesday.
Ghosh painted a picture of Banerjee’s confrontational approach. ‘We all know her rhetoric—she belittles the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Nadda ji. What to expect from someone who flouts constitutional norms and judicial pronouncements?’ he questioned during a press meet.
Empowering the masses, Ghosh said Bengal’s voters hold the key. ‘High Court and Supreme Court have issued orders earlier too, yet she remains defiant. Courts are her refuge in personal binds, but she rejects them otherwise,’ he elaborated.
Ghosh went further, dubbing Thursday’s interim budget the TMC government’s ‘final act.’ ‘They won’t present another; this is it,’ he averred, cautioning against high hopes. ‘Vote-bank gimmicks via announcements are likely, but real gains for Bengal? Unlikely.’
Stakeholders keenly await budget highlights: Lakshmi Bhandar enhancements, DA hikes, and ASHA worker remunerations. This women-empowerment initiative, fulfilling a 2021 promise, now aids lakhs with tailored monthly stipends—Rs 1,000 general, Rs 1,200 reserved categories—boosted pre-Lok Sabha polls.
Speculation abounds on further hikes to secure women’s votes. Amid judicial tussles over voter purges and Ghosh’s unyielding barbs, West Bengal braces for intensified partisanship, with the budget serving as a critical battleground in the state’s enduring political saga.