Mamata Banerjee slams BJP over Annapurna Yojana delays, 75% women cut off
Synopsis
Mamata Banerjee's sharpest post-election salvo yet: she claims the BJP has quietly cut off 75 per cent of the 2.42 crore women who received monthly cash under Lakshmir Bhandar, rebranded the scheme as Annapurna Bhandar, and is now applying eligibility filters that were never part of the original promise — all within four months of taking power.
Key Takeaways
Mamata Banerjee on 24 August accused the BJP government of cutting off nearly 75 per cent of women from the Annapurna Bhandar allowance scheme.
The TMC government had provided monthly allowances to approximately 2 crore 42 lakh women under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, including a disbursement in March before Assembly elections.
Banerjee alleged the BJP is applying religious and racial criteria to determine eligibility, calling it a violation of pre-poll promises.
She urged affected women to prepare neighbourhood-level lists and pledged alternative arrangements in the coming days.
Banerjee also accused the BJP of orchestrating vandalism at Jadavpur University during ABVP -Left student clashes.
She warned citizens against signing Census forms, alleging the exercise is a backdoor attempt to enforce the NRC .
Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, 24 August launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, alleging that nearly 75 per cent of women who previously received monthly allowances under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme have been cut off since the BJP assumed power. Her remarks came as protests by women over delayed disbursements under the Annapurna Bhandar financial assistance scheme spread across the state.
What Banerjee Alleged
Speaking during a Facebook Live session, Banerjee claimed the BJP government was reducing the beneficiary count by invoking eligibility criteria that were never part of the original pre-poll promise. She alleged the scheme was being administered with religious and racial considerations, which she described as a direct betrayal of women across West Bengal.
'Women in the state have to walk on the streets crying for the Annapurna Yojana. We used to give Lakshmir Bhandar to about 2 crore 42 lakh mothers and sisters. We even gave money in March before the Assembly elections. However, after the elections, about 75 per cent of women have stopped getting the allowance,' Banerjee said. She called the eligibility-based exclusions 'a complete fraud.'
Banerjee's Call to Action
Expressing solidarity with affected women, Banerjee urged them to prepare neighbourhood-level lists containing names, addresses, and reasons for non-receipt of the benefit despite eligibility. She said she would work on alternative arrangements in the coming days and pledged that the opposition's fight would continue until the BJP was 'sent to sannyas.'
Banerjee also categorically ruled out her own political retirement, asserting she would remain active until she forced the BJP out of power. She said people of West Bengal had 'understood the true face of the BJP within four months of the change in government.'
Jadavpur University Clashes
Responding to recent clashes between ABVP and Left student groups at Jadavpur University, Banerjee accused the BJP of orchestrating vandalism on the campus. 'Despite our differences of opinion with some students there, we respect them,' she said, distancing the TMC from the violence while holding the BJP responsible.
Census and NRC Warning
Banerjee further alleged that the ongoing Census exercise was a 'backdoor attempt' to enforce the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and claimed it was implemented without consulting political parties. She urged citizens to exercise caution before signing Census forms or sharing personal data, warning that doing so could result in personal savings being wiped out. The BJP government has not yet formally responded to these specific allegations.
With protests still active across the state, the political standoff over Annapurna Yojana disbursements is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
If verified, are politically explosive. A 75 per cent drop in beneficiaries within four months of a government change would represent one of the sharpest welfare rollbacks in recent West Bengal history. The BJP has not yet countered with its own beneficiary data, which leaves the public narrative entirely in Banerjee's hands for now. The NRC-Census conflation, however, is a well-worn TMC alarm that has historically driven voter anxiety more than policy debate — and its reappearance signals the party is already in campaign mode well before the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
24 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Annapurna Bhandar scheme and why is it controversial?
Annapurna Bhandar is a financial assistance scheme run by the BJP government in West Bengal that provides monthly allowances to eligible women. It is controversial because Mamata Banerjee alleges the BJP is applying new eligibility criteria — including religious and racial filters — that were not part of the original pre-poll promise, resulting in a sharp drop in beneficiaries.
How many women were receiving allowances under the earlier Lakshmir Bhandar scheme?
According to Mamata Banerjee, approximately 2 crore 42 lakh women received monthly allowances under the TMC government's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, with a disbursement made as recently as March before the Assembly elections.
What action has Mamata Banerjee urged affected women to take?
Banerjee has asked women deprived of the allowance to prepare lists in every neighbourhood with their names, addresses, and reasons for non-receipt of the benefit. She said she would make alternative arrangements for them in the coming days.
What did Banerjee say about the Census and NRC?
Banerjee alleged that the ongoing Census exercise is a backdoor attempt to enforce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and was implemented without consulting political parties. She warned citizens to be cautious before signing Census forms or sharing personal data, claiming it could result in personal savings being wiped out.
What did Banerjee say about the Jadavpur University clashes?
Banerjee accused the BJP of orchestrating vandalism at Jadavpur University during clashes between ABVP and Left student groups. She said the TMC respects students at the university despite political differences, and placed responsibility for the violence on the BJP.
