A day after CPI-M Politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharya criticised the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for 'unnecessarily' spending public money on fairs and festivals, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back today saying her government will keep on doing so as it provided livelihood to various people.        

"When I was coming here, Mukul Roy told me that somebody yesterday had said in a meeting that the government doesn't have money but it is conducting fairs and festivals. I told Mukul to tell them what shall we do -- shall we conduct sharadh ceremony or create a vultures den?"        

"They (CPI-M) have siphoned all the money and have used it to give money to their cadres. If I conduct a festival what is wrong in it? Earlier too festivals were conducted. But those festivals were not lively. The festivals organised by us have life in it," she said at a programme in Siliguri.        

Banerjee's comments came a day after Bhattacharya, also former chief minister, had criticised the Trinamool Congress regime for spending public money 'unnecessarily' on fairs and festivals.