West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the BJP-led Central government of deliberately not releasing funds for various Central schemes and said Rs 2,500 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme was due to the state.

Accusing the Centre of a "step-motherly attitude" towards the state, Banerjee claimed that people of rural Bengal are not able to withdraw money under the scheme due to lack of bank branches in certain places.