By Navneet Mishra

New Delhi, Mar 14 (IANS): Just a few weeks ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised the issue of the state reeling under massive debt, putting the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government on the back foot.

The BJP has said the state is reeling under a debt of Rs 4.75 lakh crore, amassed during the last 10 years of the Trinamool Congress rule.

Raju Bisht, BJP national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling, told IANS: "When Mamata Banerjee took over the reins of the West Bengal government in 2011, the state was under a debt of Rs 1.9 lakh crore. But now this debt has more than doubled due to the wrong policies of the Mamata government. Today, after 10 years, West Bengal has a total debt of Rs 4.75 lakh crore. The economy of Bengal is completely derailed."

The BJP has also raised the issue of lack of investments in the state. The saffron party alleged that the current situation in the state, which was once known for its factories, has weakened on the investment front today. The BJP leaders raised questions over the Rs 15 lakh crore MoUs signed between various business houses during the Mamata Banerjee regime.

Bisht alleged that in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee looted crores of rupees of public exchequer in the name of Investors' Summit for welcoming businessmen, "there was also talk of signing an MoU of 15 crores to fool the public, but there were no investments done".

"Today, the condition of tea plantation workers has become worse. Many tea gardens have also been closed. The businessmen are reluctant to set up industries here because of expensive power supply in Bengal," said Bisht.

The BJP has now taken up the debt issue majorly in its campaigning. The party believes that cornering Mamata Banerjee government on the basis of facts and figures could prove to be very effective instead of superficial allegations, say party leaders.