PM Modi wasting public money with his foreign trips: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

The West Bengal chief minister was addressing a public rally to kickstart TMC's campaign for the upcoming Panchayat polls.

Chandamari (Cochbehar):Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States saying the PM was “wasting the country's money”. Mamata made the comments while kicking off the TMC's campaign for the upcoming Panchayat polls scheduled for July 8.

While addressing a campaign rally on the grounds of Chandamari Prananath High School in Cooch Behar on Monday, the West Bengal Chief Minister said, "They went to America to waste the government's money worth 24,000 dollars. Modi babu will be the leader?," Banerjee said in a swipe at PM Modi over the recently concluded US visit.

Pertinently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a four-day US visit from Jun-21-24. PM Modi kicked off his US tour from New York by participating in the International Yoga Day programme at the United Nations. He also met with several industrialists there before going to Washington where the US president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted the PM on a special dinner.

Moreover, PM Modi also had a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. The Prime Minister addressed the joint session of the US Congress, besides attending another function. Mamata took a swipe at PM Modi's past foreign trips as well. "Sometimes he is going to Russia. buying planes there....sometimes he is going to France, and buying airplanes," she said.

The West Bengal chief minister also accused the BJP led Centre of depriving the state of central funds for welfare schemes including the MGNREGA. "My brothers and sisters work for a hundred days, carrying soil on their heads... they are not being paid on time. This is the BJP government, 'double engine government,” she said 'in a swipe at the saffron party.