Kolkata, Oct 11 (PTI) BJP MP Raju Bista released a video clip purportedly showing that no water was coming from a tap in Darjeeling Hills ravaged by last week's landslides, and alleged that people are
not getting the benefit of the 'Har Ghar Jal' central project in West Bengal.
In a sharp retort, the ruling TMC claimed that the BJP is hiding the fact about Centre's failure to release a single rupee since August 2024 for the project.
The video clip showed the MP trying to drink water from a tap without success. He then was heard saying: "Hello didi, there is no water in the tap."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is called Didi (elder sister) by her followers.
Bista was heard saying in the clip: "Can you hear Didi? There is no water despite Modi ji's promise to provide water to every dwelling unit. And there is no water even in a roadside tap."
The video was shared by the BJP's West Bengal unit with the caption "Centre sends thousands of crores of Rupees for Har Ghar Jal project. Mamata delivers her Har Ghar Scam instead."
Attaching the video, senior BJP leader and the party's IT cell in charge Amit Malvya said in an X post: "Har Ghar Jal: How Mamata Banerjee's Government Betrayed Bengal's Villages. West Bengal remains one of the worst performers under PM Modi's Har Ghar Jal mission. Barely 54 per cent of rural households have tap water connections - far below the national average."
Despite thousands of crores released by the Centre, Bengal's implementation has been marred by corruption, poor planning, and fake reporting. Pipes have been laid without any water source, bills inflated, and projects marked 'complete' only on paper, he alleged.
"Contractors say they are owed Rs 5,000 crore in pending payments, leaving work stalled across multiple districts like Birbhum, Purulia, Murshidabad, Paschim Medinipur and Darjeeling. For the people, this means continued dependence on unsafe water sources and endless hardship, while the TMC government blames everyone else for its own failure," Malviya said.
The BJP leader alleged: "TMC turned Har Ghar Jal into Har Ghar Scam."
Countering the claims, the TMC asserted that the Centre did not release a single rupee since August last year.
"@BJP4India just won't stop beating a dead horse. Their chorus of 'Centre sent funds, TMC gobbled them up' is as hollow as it is dishonest," the TMC said in its official X handle.
The ruling party of West Bengal shared some documents showing the allocation for states for the Jal Jeevan Mission project.
"Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, GoWB and Government of India approved projects worth Rs 58,000 crore to cover 1.75 crore rural households. The state not only contributes 50 per cent of the project cost but also bears the cost of land,... Supervision, and other incidental expenditure. Yet since August 2024, the Centre has failed to release a single rupee in full," the TMC said.
For 2024-25, there was a total allocation of Rs 10,100 crore and the Centre had promised share of Rs 5,050 crore. "The funds actually released were Rs 2,525 crore (barely half) while the shortfall was Rs 2,525 crore," the party said.
Meanwhile, the state government released Rs 4,926 crore instead of Rs 4,557 crore, Rs 2,401 crore more than the Centre. And in 2025-26, the Centre hasn't released a rupee at all, the TMC claimed.
"If BJP wants to talk about failure, they should start with their own record of unfulfilled promises, withheld funds and a vindictive financial blockade against Bengal. Until then, their fake outrage is just smoke and mirrors," the TMC said. PTI SUS NN
