CM to Left: Keep mum for 10 yrs

The comments were directed at former health minister and Leader of Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra,who led the Opposition walkout barely five minutes after Mamata started speaking.

The Left front walked out of the House alleging that they were not being allowed to ask questions.

Criticising the Opposition LF for trying to raise hue and cry against her government,Mamata asked Mishra to “first compete with Minister of State of Health Chandrima Bhattacharya” before competing with her.

She said after coming to power,she found the district health care system was in shambles.

“They (Left Front government) had turned every hospital of the state into a living hell,” she said, adding that the Trinamool Congress government was trying to establish multi-speciality hospitals in all districts across the state.

Stating that more than 50 per cent deliveries in districts such as Malda,North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur were non-institutional,she said her government has initiated Kanyashree scheme so that girls below 18 years are not forced into marriage. She also said that her government had set up fair price medicine shops,a model which is now being replicated in other states.

Alleging dismal condition of the public distribution system during the LF regime,she said since her government came to power,77 lakh bogus ration cards have been seized. She also accused the previous LF government of failure in providing proper entitlements to people living below poverty line and said there were instances of change of status from Above Poverty Line (APL) to BPL category. She said Marxists denied the benefits to the poor on political considerations.

“Is it your theory of haves and have-nots?” she asked. “No steps were taken to ensure sanitation in the villages. Where did the central funds allocated for the schemes go? We will initiate an investigation into the matter.”

Criticising the erstwhile LF government of leaving the state in a “disastrous” financial situation,she said she wanted to clear the DA arrears of state government employees,but was unable to do so due to lack of funds.