KOLKATA, June 23 -- The BJP-led government in West Bengal has proposed a substantial reduction in funding for the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department in its first full state budget for the financial year 2026-27.

Presenting the budget in the state assembly, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced an allocation of Rs.2,165.42 crore for the department.

The proposed allocation marks a sharp decline from the Rs.5,713 crore earmarked in the vote-on-account budget presented by the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in February this year.

The reduction comes amid the BJP's longstanding criticism of the Mamata Banerjee-led administration's spending on the Minority Affairs Department. The party had repeatedly alleged ...