Wed Oct 22 21:26:16 UTC 2025: Here’s a summarized news article based on the provided text:

Headline: West Bengal Accuses Center of Financial Strangulation Amid Flood Relief Dispute

Kolkata, October 23, 2025 – The Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party of West Bengal, has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government, accusing it of deliberately withholding crucial funds from the state following devastating floods earlier this month. The TMC alleges that this constitutes a “financial strangulation” motivated by political retribution for the BJP’s electoral defeat in West Bengal in 2021.

According to the TMC, while the central government has allocated significant funds to Maharashtra and Karnataka for flood relief, West Bengal has been conspicuously excluded, despite being ravaged by floods that claimed over 30 lives and displaced thousands. They cite figures showing ₹13,603.20 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and ₹2,189.28 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) were allocated to other states, while Bengal received nothing.

“The Modi-Shah combine is weaponizing federal funds as revenge,” the TMC stated in a social media post. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has previously appealed to Prime Minister Modi for the release of funds and raised concerns over stalled central schemes due to alleged corruption.

The BJP has responded to the accusations, with State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya claiming that funds previously allocated by the Centre have been misappropriated within the state. He also stated that funds for certain schemes remain unutilized.

The dispute comes months before the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, raising concerns over the impact of the alleged funding disparity on the state’s recovery efforts and political landscape. The TMC has warned of electoral consequences for what it describes as “step motherly treatment” from the Union government.

Read More