Mamata asks Centre to give fertiliser subsidy to farmers

Prosperous farmers hold key to India's election

Krishnagar: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday urged the Centre to give fertiliser subsidy to farmers and assailed the Left parties for not opposing UPA government's decision in 2009 to decontrol fertiliser prices.

''The CPI(M), which had provided outside support to the UPA government, did not oppose it. We had no knowledge about it and if we were in the government we would oppose it,'' Banerjee told reporters, saying the decontrol of prices paved the way for increase in the prices of the vital agricultural input.

Banerjee was here to hold the Nadia district development review meeting with district officials, including the DM, besides being present at a programme to launch some local trains.

She also expressed displeasure over the functioning of the three-tier panchayat system in the state and held the CPI-M responsible for making the zilla parishads non-functional.

"There was non-cooperation (by the CPI(M)-controlled panchayats). The previous government had dissolved 65 panchayats. Not even a single panchayat was dissolved in our tenure. We do want to dissolve a single panchayat," she said.

Except in two - South 24-Paraganas and East Midnapore districts - the Trinamool Congress, which was swept to power in alliance with the Congress last year, did not have majority in the zilla parishads.

Panchayat elections in West Bengal are due next year.