CPM siphoning off crores of central funds: Rahul

Launching an attack on the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist in West Bengal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the party of 'grabbing' crores of rupees from central funds meant for the uplift of the poor and downtrodden.

"United Progressive Alliance government is sending crores of rupees to the state under different schemes, including National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, but the fund is being siphoned off and going to the CPI-M coffers. This has been going on for 33 years," he told a Youth Congress rally at the Shahid Mindar Maidan in Kolkata.

In a hard-hitting speech, he said, "Under the CPI-M) rule, there are two Bengals. One is for CPI-M which is shining and the second is for you -- the Bengal of the poor."

Gandhi's brief speech, mostly confined to CPI-M bashing, was applauded by the crowd frequently.

In his first ever public rally in the city, the AICC general secretary said 45 per cent of the people in the state have no ration cards.