Kolkata, May 28 A delegation of all 16 BJP Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal will approach President Ram Nath Kovind with complaints that they are unable to spend the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds on development projects in their respective areas due to lack of cooperation from the local and district administration.
The MPs will go to New Delhi shortly and submit a written deputation to the President. Before approaching the President, they will meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and submit a written deputation to him as well on this count.
Confirming the decision, BJP's national vice-president and the party MP from Midnapore Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh said the state government is deliberately not cooperating with the party members in spending their respective MPLAD funds, so that their expenditure figure on this count cut a sorry figure and BJP does not get a political advantage.
"The district officials also refuse to meet our MPs, when the latter approach the administration with their proposed development projects to be funded from their respective MPLAD funds. We will now highlight this matter," Ghosh said.
It is learnt that with just two years left from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, none of the 16 BJP Lok Sabha members have been able to spend even 50 per cent of the MPLAD funds allocated to them. According to Ghosh, although the party MPs regularly submit their proposed expenditure to the administration, a section of the district magistrates, additional district magistrates, sub-divisional officers and block development officers hold them back.
It is learnt that BJP is preparing a list of such bureaucrats who have been ignoring this issue regularly and register complaints against them.
The MPs allege that if MPLAD funds are utilised for a particular project, as per rule, the name of the MP concerned has to enlisted and displayed at the project site. "The ruling Trinamool Congress do not want that and hence the bureaucrats are resorting to such non- cooperation as per the instructions of the ruling party leaders," Ghosh said.
The Trinamool Congress leaders have overruled such allegations and described it as an attempt to malign the party.
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