Union Minister Joshi slams Mamata Banerjee over 'shelter' remarks

Hyderabad: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's "shelter" remarks saying the Centre is firmly dealing with infiltrators and Rohingyas.

Addressing a press conference on the recently presented Union Budget 2024-25, the Minister opined that the Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting was not desirable and advised him not to repeat it in future.

Replying to a query on Mamata Banerjee walking out of the NITI Aayog meeting today in the national capital alleging she was stopped from speaking "after just five minutes," he hit out at the INDI Alliance and Banerjee, saying the bloc is not at all an alliance as the West Bengal CM did not offer a single seat in the state and everyone knows how she handles and what respect she gives to the Congress there.

The Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution also said the prices of vegetables and fruits are one of the main factors for food inflation and to contain it, a large-scale clusters of vegetable production will be developed closer to major consumption centres (cities) in the country.

"Rohingya or any other infiltration, especially after we took over, we are handling without any confusion and with an iron hand, we are handling it. But you know the limitations also because from the last so many years after the 70 and 80s, these appeasements reached their peak," Joshi said.

In an address at a public event in Kolkata recently, Banerjee, referring to violence-hit Bangladesh, said she would keep the doors of West Bengal open for people in distress from the neighbouring country and offer them shelter.

"The recent statement of Mamata Banerjee, these are all the things which will add to the complication, but as far as the Central government is concerned, we are very very firm and for that sealing of the border and such things wonderful work has been done," he further said.

Joshi also refuted Dayanidhi Maran's remarks criticising Budget 2024-25 for allegedly failing to meet the aspirations of the middle-class people and said Tamil Nadu also got the highest devolution of funds, grant-in-aid.

On Maran's alleged remarks that Hindi was being imposed, the Union Minister said the Centre was not imposing the language on anyone.

"Because they do not have any issue to talk in a loud voice against the Modi government, they are trying to raise these issues which are non-issues," he said.

Speaking on the Union Budget, he said is progressive and development oriented.

He said the NDA Government has been implementing Dr Swaminathan’s recommendations that the MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production and alleged that when the UPA was in power it could not do it.

On Revanth Reddy boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting, he said after the polls are over everyone should keep politics aside and work for development.

"You are trying to ditch and cheat Telangana people which you should not do. I am going to advise him (Revanth Reddy), that at least now you cannot go, but going forward this should not be done," he said.

Alleging that the previous BRS government in Telangana failed to make use of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme and the hoped that the Congress regime in the state would utilise the opportunity.

Inputs from PTI