Bengal TMC MP Derek O'Brien fact-checks PM's 'poriborton' speech, tweets rebuttal

Bengal Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien ‘fact-checked’ PM Modi’s Hoogly speech on Monday, refuting his statements. PM Modi while addressing a rally in poll bound Bengal accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government of corruption and preventing development.

Rebutting the PM’s statements on development, Derek pointed out that the average per person income in the state had ‘more than doubled - from ₹ 51,543 in 2010 to ₹ 1.09 lakh in 2019’. He also hit back at the PM’s suggestion that Bengal could not generate employment because of lack of industries. To back his rebuttal he cited ‘nearly 89 lakh small businesses operate in Bengal today compared to 34.6 lakh in 2012, employing 1.35 crore people’.

Derek responded to Modi’s accusation the Trinamool has not allowed Bengal farmers to benefit from the centre's PM-Kisan scheme and blocked Ayushman Bharat scheme. He said the state had already put in place schemes for farmers, who he said had seen incomes triple in 10 years.

"Bengal provides its farmers with annual financial assistance of ₹ 6,000 per acre while PM-Kisan provides maximum financial assistance of ₹ 1,214 per acre’, Derek wrote on Twitter as he refuted PM’s claims, pointing out further that Mamata had sent a list of 2.5 lakh farmers for inclusion in the centre's scheme but "no amount has been disbursed so far".

The Prime Minister had also said the Trinamool failed to provide drinking water to the people; adding the centre had sanctioned ₹ 1,700 crore but only ₹ 609 crore had been spent. In counter Derek said a scheme was being implemented and would provide ‘piped water to two crore households at a cost of ₹ 58,000 crore, borne entirely by the state’

The fact-check also included a list of the state's assistance to puja committees as the the Prime Minister said people in Bengal had been stopped from worshipping Goddess Durga.

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