The political heat in West Bengal scaled up a notch on Tuesday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the state government of handing out flood relief funds worth ₹100 crore to its own party workers and supporters. Referring to a voluminous 700-page report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to the Calcutta High Court, the saffron outfit has dubbed release an “act by State through which it legitimized loot — “loot of Amphan” — which favoured party cronies over disaster-affected people.
Primarily based in the flood-prone Malda district – what with its history of miserable monsoon floods, the CAG found such systemic anomalies during the relief disbursal.
Systematic Loot: What Was There in CAG Report?
Though the BJP, under its national IT head Amit Malviya and state leadership, has also mentioned about several “shocking” anomalies raised in the audit. The report shows a systematic looting of public funds in the name of disaster management, as per the party.
The “Multiple Payment” Mystery
The most obvious are the repeated transactions into the same bank accounts. According to the audit, there were 6,965 occurrences in which individuals received flood aid payments more than once.
An extreme case is reported in Harishchandrapur-2 block where one person got relief money 42 times.
Hundreds of others were discovered to have received duplicate payments amounting from two to 10 times each, an indication of no digital deduplicaiton at the most basic end — or deliberate fraud, if you are to trust the BJP.
The report is believed to have raised concerns about a payment of ₹7.5 crore for damage caused to “pucca” houses (permanent structures). “Another report by the then District Magistrate had, however, admitted that there was no damage to these structures in audited areas. This much but it means money had been paid for a loss that never, in fact happened at ground zero.
Ineligible Beneficiaries
The audit reportedly revealed that 108 public representatives and government employees, who were already taking salaries from the government in a regular manner, had illegitimately availed benefits reserved for BPL families.
“Missing Files” and Evidence Tampering
Adding a criminal aspect to the financial charges, BJP alleged that official files have “mysteriously disappeared” from several block offices in Malda. It is believed that these documents are deliberately destroyed and suppressed to eliminate paper-trails and powerful people connected with the ruling dispensation could be shielded, the party says.
It also reportedly stated in its audit that more than ₹7 crore were released in favor of those, who never applied for relief. This model of “phantom beneficiary” is what the BJP says money was being funneled through to reward TMC grassroots workers.
Political Firestorm Before the 2026 Elections
The timing here is also pertinent. As West Bengal moves towards the 2026 Assembly Elections, the BJP’s advancement of the CAG report is a narrative that they are building against Mamata Banerjee’s Government: ‘Churi’ (Theft) and ‘Chit-fund culture’.
“Even though TMC talks of ’depriving’ party by the Centre, their leaders are busy looting those who are most deprived even during natural calamities,” a senior BJP leader said at a news conference in Kolkata.
The Trinamool Congress has brushed aside such CAG-based allegations in the past too, often throwing its question on “application of due diligence” on the auditor and charging central agencies with “operating at the instance of BJP”. CM Mamata Banerjee had earlier written to the Prime Minister, saying her government has furnished all the Utilization Certificates (UCs) and that the reports are “distorted facts” being used for propagating false claims.
What Happens Next?
The issue is now before the Calcutta High Court, where the 700-page CAG report has been submitted. Legal experts say a special investigation —- possibly by a central agency may be ordered if the “missing documents” and “duplicate payments” in-arguendo proves to be primary evidences of conspiracy.
As the courtroom theatre continues, it is going to be interesting to see how “Malda Relief Scam” emerges as a cogent counter-narrative of administrative corruption, thereby providing the war-cry – “Ma, Mati, Manush” – with a challenge from within.
