Bengal finances stretched, Opp questions Mamata’s Durga Puja benevolence

Last year, the TMC-led government spent Rs 201.91 crore — Rs 50,000 for each of the 40,383 Durga Puja committees. This year, the burden on the exchequer will be Rs 240.55 crore — Rs 60,000 each to 40,092 Puja committees. An increased allocation of Rs 39 crore for the festivities has raised eyebrows, given that debt burden led the state government to refrain from announcing new social sector projects and direct cash transfer schemes during the Budget for the 2022-’23 financial year. In the Budget, it was estimated that meeting the allocations and proposals would push up the state’s debt burden to almost Rs 6 lakh crore.

Mamata Banerjee has accused the Centre of not releasing funds for 100 days’ work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In various administrative meetings, Banerjee has issued directives to leaders to not come up with new projects. In the last Cabinet meeting as well, the CM asked ministers not to submit proposals for new projects because of the government’s financial situation.

But Opposition parties said the government opens up its purse when it comes to Durga Puja celebrations. They also pointed out that the CM’s announcement came at a time when her government is under pressure following the arrests of former state minister Partha Chatterjee and party heavyweight Anubrata Mondal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Chatterjee in the SSC “recruitment scam” case on July 23 while Mondal was arrested on August 11 in connection with a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into cattle smuggling.

BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “The state government is only bothered about celebrating festivals at the cost of an economic crisis. The government does not have funds for development projects but has funds to offer grants to Puja committees. Due to the financial crunch, it cannot pay pending DA (dearness allowance) to government employees, cannot fill vacant posts in schools and colleges, or allot money to repair roads and other things. But, surprisingly, it never stops short of extending its helping hand to clubs and Puja committees that have been politicised over the years.”

Politicising Durga Puja

Since coming to power in 2011, the TMC has reigned supreme in popular Durga Puja committees in Kolkata. Senior TMC leaders are at the helm of most of the big-ticket Puja committees either as their president or patron, and small and medium-sized committees are also aligned with the ruling party.

Popular community Pujas in Kolkata have become synonymous with the TMC over the years. Among them are Puja committees such as Chetla Agrani (minister Firhad Hakim), Suruchi Sangha (minister Aroop Biswas), Naktala Udayan Sangha (former minister Partha Chatterjee), Hindustan Club (minister Chandrima Bhattacharya), Tridhara Akalbodhan (MLA Debasish Kumar), and Sreebhumi Sporting (minister Sujit Bose). Since 2016, the government has organised a Durga Puja carnival on Red Road at which more than 70 popular organisers hold processions to showcase their idols before immersion.

In 2018, Banerjee announced Rs 10,000 each for 28,000 Puja committees. The following year, the CM increased the amount to Rs 25,000 for 30,000 clubs and allotted Rs 30,000 for each club helmed by women. The grant amount was increased to Rs 50,000 in 2020 and it remained unchanged the following year. The CM every year inaugurates more than 50 Durga Pujas, with most of the Puja committees either headed by TMC leaders or aligned with the ruling party. The pandals at such Pujas also often showcase the state government’s projects and schemes.

The Opposition accused the government of trying to divert people’s attention from the arrests of Chatterjee and Mondal and the probes into alleged corruption.

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “If you take into account other related expenses, the state government will have to shell out Rs 500 crore for this purpose. If the state government is indeed in a financial crunch, then how come they announce such grants to Puja Committees? Durga Pujas have been held for a very long time. They have been held without the support of the state government or its grants. But the TMC government wants to turn the festival into a political programme. In return for grants, the Puja committees will have to promote the state government and its schemes by putting up large banners and posters of Mamata Banerjee.”

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “We do not want to oppose this move, but we want to question the motive. If one has to give grants, then the government must do the same during other religious festivals. But there is a motive behind this move. The TMC government wants to use Bengalis’ passion for Durga Puja in its favour. They want to reach out to the people. Increasing the grant is one way of doing it.”

The ruling party, however, dismissed the Opposition’s allegations, saying the objective of giving grants was to improve the economy surrounding Durga Puja.

“The pending DA is definitely an issue but one should keep in mind the economy of Durga Puja before making such comments,” said TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh. “This grant is given to improve the Durga Puja economy as several people — be it artists, electricians, decorators and others — are associated with it. The government takes various things into account before making such announcements. The Opposition has no other work than to politicise everything.”