Kolkata, February 14 Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that infiltration had become a serious issue in West Bengal and alleged that the state was being handed over to infiltrators.
Addressing a BJP teachers' cell conference here, the Union education minister also pitched the Centre’s eastern development vision, saying India’s overall progress depended on the rise of eastern states.
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for articulating the approach, he said, "Kolkata is the capital of Purvodaya (Eastern Development). The first ray of development of the east should come from Kolkata."
Pradhan alleged, "This state government plans to hand over Bengal to infiltrators and invite once again a situation like 'Banga Bhanga' (division of Bengal). My state Odisha has also been affected by this."
He claimed that corruption was rampant, while poverty in the state was "hurting the country."
Launching a broader attack on the Trinamool Congress administration, Pradhan called for a "satta parivartan" (change in power), alleging the current dispensation had surrendered governance to corruption and infiltration.
"Time has come for a change of power in Bengal to remove this corrupt administration," he said, urging people to work towards installing a BJP-led "double-engine government".
He also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's budget, alleging it was "more for infiltrators and madrasas" than for the general public, and claimed central funds meant for children's nutrition under the mid-day meal scheme had been diverted.
"Those who have stolen the money of Bengal's children, we are going to send them to jail," he said.
The minister alleged that the state's refusal to implement the National Education Policy had deprived it of major central benefits, including funds for over 1,000 PM SHRI schools and a proposed grant for Jadavpur University as a 'Centre of Excellence'.
Citing education indicators, he claimed the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education in the state was about 25 per cent compared with the national average of 30 per cent, and said thousands of schools faced severe teacher shortages, with around 4,000 allegedly having none.
Referring to teacher eligibility test candidates, Pradhan acknowledged their unimaginable hardship due to "wrong policies" of the TMC regime and promised that if the BJP came to power, the government would find ways to resolve their issues.