Mamata on dharna demanding West Bengal's 'dues' from Centre for welfare schemes

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee began a dharna in Kolkata on Friday, demanding the state's "dues" from the Centre for various social welfare schemes.

Banerjee along with leaders of her party, the TMC, started the demonstration in front of the BR Ambedkar's statue in the Maidan area in the heart of the city.

A tent has been put up beside the podium so that she can attend to urgent administrative needs, officials said.

The chief minister has been claiming that the BJP-led government at the Centre owes the state thousands of crores of rupees on account of various welfare schemes, including the MGNREGA and the PM Awas Yojana.

She began the dharna after paying respects at the Ambedkar statue.

She led a similar demonstration last year as well over the issue. Also, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is the CM's nephew, held an agitation in New Delhi, and then sat on a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata over it.