Left government has made Bengal bankrupt: Pranab

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said it would be unfair on the part of the Left Front government to blame the Centre if it failed to pay salaries to its employees April onwards.

Quoting from a local daily, which reported that payment of salary for state government employees would become uncertain from April, Mukherjee said, "If it comes to such a pass, then the state government may say that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is not giving funds or allowing the state to draw overdrafts."

"As Union finance minister, I am letting you know it is the state's responsibility to arrange salaries for its employees," he said.

"Over 34 years, the Left Front government has made the state bankrupt. It is now time to change the government," he told an election rally.

On April 11, Mukherjee had said at Nalhati in Birbhum district that West Bengal's financial situation was the worst among all the states and the Centre was extremely worried over the situation.

"As the country's finance minister, I am extremely anxious about how to get rid of the present financial crisis faced by Bengal," he had said, adding that the state was burdened with Rs 1.62 lakh crore debt.

After the expulsion of 15 rebel candidates from the party for contesting against its official nominees for the West Bengal assembly polls, the Congress on Friday appealed to the remaining dissidents to withdraw their candidature to defeat the ruling Left Front.

"I appeal to those (partymen) contesting as independents to withdraw their candidature. There is still time. Self-interest has to be sacrificed for the greater interest," Mukherjee told an election rally in the presence of All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi.

On April 13, Congress expelled 12 rebel candidates, including three sitting legislators, who defied the party line and filed nominations against official candidates of the Congress-Trinamool Congress combine.

The move came just a day after Mukherjee's warning that the rebels would face strong action, including expulsion, if they did not withdraw from the poll fray.