He also reiterated the state government’s demand that the Centre should accord the state a moratorium of three years on the Rs 22,000 crore that the state had to pay annually for the repayment of interest and part payment of loan, which amounted to Rs 2.3 lakh crore.

“Article 270 of the Indian constitution speaks of devolution of funds that the Centre collects through various taxes and it is the finance commission that decides on the states’ share of central receipts. According to the last finance commission for 2010 to 2015, the states’ share stands at 32 per cent and in that process, which means West Bengal is supposed to get Rs 19,000 crore, of which they have got only Rs 12,000 crore till December. But what I mean to say is that it was our constitutional right,’’ Mitra said at press conference at Writers’ Building.

The West Bengal finance minister had called the press conference to refute Singhvi’s charges on Wednesday that he was distorting and understating facts and that the state government actually got Rs 23,000 crore in the last year.

On February 5, Singhvi said in response to a question that the state government received about Rs 8,000 crore from the Centre. The next day Mitra refuted Singhvi’s claims saying the state had not received a single paisa as grant.