Bengal Speaker rejects BJP’s adjournment motion on ‘religious intolerance’; LOP proposes ‘working together’ on PMAY scheme

The BJP claimed that in West Bengal, due to the “continuous blockades” by a particular community, Hindus are “unable to do their religious practices”, which violates Constitutional rights. After the Speaker rejected the motion, BJP MLAs started protesting and walked out of the Assembly.

Adhikari said, “In terms of percentage, we have got the most votes from the Hindu community and people. If we can’t give them security in practicing their religion, if we can’t speak for them in the Assembly, then what is the value of us?” He added, “Not just Hindus, according to the Constitution, any community has the right to practice religion with freedom.”

On Friday, the Leader of Opposition also brought up the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) scheme. “The state government failed to give the utilisation certificate of the scheme. They have also not identified who fraudulently grabbed the PMAY scheme’s money. You are now saying the state government will give houses to more than 11 lakh families but if you rectify yourself, we will unitedly talk with the central government and can arrange houses for more than 20 lakh poor families.”

The scheme has been in the midst of a tussle between the state and the Centre. In December 2020, acting on complaints of irregularities, the Centre decided to withhold the funding for the 2017-2018 state list of beneficiaries – under the PMAY-G scheme, the Centre allocates 60 percent of the funds, while states contribute the remaining 40 percent.

In July this year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the scheme would continue under a new name, Bangla Awas Yojana, and that the state would fund it entirely on its own.