Kolkata : West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Friday said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is "heading towards collapse," alleging that the party looted money from central and state welfare schemes and must be brought to justice.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh alleged that corruption prevails within the TMC "from top to bottom" and claimed that the organisation is gradually collapsing. He further alleged that TMC leaders amassed wealth by siphoning funds meant for public welfare schemes.
"Corruption is prevailing in TMC from top to bottom. Step by step, the whole organisation is heading for collapse... TMC leaders made fortunes for themselves. It is not their money; it is the poor people's wealth, looted from central and state schemes. They must be brought to justice," he said.
Speaking on welfare schemes such as Lakshmi Bhandar and Annapurna Bhandar, Ghosh said eligibility for such benefits requires Indian citizenship. Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he said it applies to Hindu refugees who came to India from Bangladesh and Pakistan and have not yet obtained citizenship.
"It's not just about schemes like Lakshmi Bhandar or Annapurna. Whatever benefits the central and state governments of India provide to citizens, the first condition to receive those is that one must be an Indian citizen. For those who haven't obtained citizenship or have lost it--specifically Hindu refugees who have come from Bangladesh or Pakistan--there is the CAA," Ghosh stated.
He further urged people to register themselves to avail such benefits and said non-citizens would otherwise be deprived of government welfare benefits. "They should register, and they will receive it. Other than that, all non-citizens will be deprived of all benefits and will be expelled from this country; that process has started," Ghosh said.
Targeting the previous functioning of the TMC government, Ghosh alleged that several organisations were split into multiple parts to facilitate job racketeering, bribery and looting, and claimed that ministers and their associates were involved.
"I saw the pathetic condition in Haringhata. The Mother Dairy, which used to produce six lakh litres of milk daily, now produces only 30,000 litres. And even that, 'Bangla Dairy' has been created solely for looting. Organisations have been split into two or three parts just to facilitate job racketeering, bribery and looting. Who did it? The ministers and their associates did it," he alleged.