Suvendu Adhikari Slams Abhishek Banerjee's Plan to Provide Pensions to Elderly via Party Funds

On Saturday, Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, launched a vicious attack on the Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and the Mamata Banerjee government over the latter's announcement to raise money from party members to help 70,000 elderly residents of Diamond Harbour constituency who do not receive old-age pensions.

"Diamond Harbour Model by Bhaipo reveals Pishi's dishonest Duare Sarkar initiative!!!" Old Age Pension program applicants were had to wait in line at successive Duare Sarkar Camps, but they were not given pensions. The "Duare Sarkar" balloon gets burst by Bhaipo! Adhikari said on his X account.

On Friday, Abhishek said at a program to give Puja presents to residents in Falta, his constituency, that he had made the decision for Trinamul members to collect money to provide old-age pensions to individuals who were not receiving them from the state government due to certain technical difficulties.

"I pledge now that starting on January 1st, 2019, we, the 70,000 senior citizens of Diamond Harbour, will accept financial support from Trinamul employees working here. We will support them each month," Abhishek said to the crowd on Friday in Falta, in the South 24-Parganas district.

Adhikari calculated that 70,000 Diamond Harbour residents would need to be given a certain amount to conduct an assault on Abhishek over the alleged corruption in Bengal, even though the Diamond Harbour MP did not mention a specific sum of money.

By the way, the total amount remitted would be Rs. 3,50,00,000/- (three and a half crores) every month even if Rs. 500 was given to 70,000 individuals. It's peanuts in comparison to the amount gathered, the BJP's Nandigram MLA said on his X social media account.

Someone has chosen to hand up the money they have amassed from the smuggling of coal and cows, the teacher recruitment scam, and the ration distribution scam, perhaps due to their irritation with the ongoing harassment from the investigating authorities. It would be similar to utilizing the proceeds of crime to sway the vote if a little fraction could be distributed to 70,000 people for a few months before to the Lok Sabha elections. Double-digit gold! Added the BJP leader.

Adhikari said that Bengal was holding up the old-age pension for almost 12,000,65 persons.

Adhikari's assault caused Trinamul to respond aggressively.

"LoP@SuvenduWB, instead of worrying about others, how about addressing the increasing factionalism inside your own Party? And because you have such cordial ties with people in power in the Central government, why don't you urge them to relieve the debt owed by over twenty-one lakh underprivileged Bengali workers? Kunal Ghosh, the general secretary of Trinamul State, retorted.