West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh stated on Friday that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is 'heading towards collapse,' accusing the party of misappropriating funds from central and state welfare schemes and insisting that it must be held accountable.
Addressing reporters, Ghosh alleged widespread corruption within the TMC “from top to bottom” and claimed the party is gradually disintegrating. He also asserted that TMC leaders accumulated wealth by diverting funds intended for public welfare programmes.
“Corruption is prevailing in TMC from top to bottom. Step by step, the whole organisation is heading for collapse… TMC leaders made fortunes for themselves. It is not their money; it is the poor people’s wealth, looted from central and state schemes. They must be brought to justice,” he declared.
Regarding welfare schemes such as Lakshmi Bhandar and Annapurna Bhandar, Ghosh emphasised that eligibility for benefits requires Indian citizenship. He referenced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), explaining that it applies to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh and Pakistan who have not yet acquired Indian citizenship.
“It’s not just about schemes like Lakshmi Bhandar or Annapurna. Whatever benefits the central and state governments of India provide to citizens, the first condition to receive those is that one must be an Indian citizen. For those who haven’t obtained citizenship or have lost it–specifically Hindu refugees who have come from Bangladesh or Pakistan–there is the CAA,” he said.
Ghosh urged individuals to register in order to access government benefits, warning that non-citizens would be excluded from welfare provisions.
“They should register, and they will receive it. Other than that, all non-citizens will be deprived of all benefits and will be expelled from this country; that process has started,” he added.
Criticising the previous TMC administration, Ghosh claimed that various organisations were divided into multiple parts to enable job racketeering, bribery, and embezzlement, naming ministers and their associates as responsible parties.
“I saw the pathetic condition in Haringhata. The Mother Dairy, which used to produce six lakh litres of milk daily, now produces only 30,000 litres. And even that, ‘Bangla Dairy’ has been created solely for looting. Organisations have been split into two or three parts just to facilitate job racketeering, bribery and looting. Who did it? The ministers and their associates did it,” he asserted.