Buddha hits out at Mamata govt

1 February 2012

‘State has no policy for industry, agriculture’

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 1 FEB: Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today came down heavily on the Mamata Banerjee-government accusing it of moving without any direction and failing to add even a single new industrial venture to what his government had done.
Addressing a party rally in connection with the CPI-M district conference, Mr Bhattacharjee said: “The credit for investment in the IT sector by Wipro and Infosys and in the steel sector by Jindal Steel for its Salboni plant goes to our government and the present government had no role in it. It was because of the Trinamul Congress that the Singur land has been deprived of industry or agriculture.”
The former chief minister said the new government had no targets nor priorities “which was a pity”. He charged the new government acting in a vindictive manner to settle political scores with CPI-M leaders and activists implicating them in false cases. “During the Keshpur violence in 2000, Trinamul Congress had committed crimes. But, I never got any of their leaders and activists arrested. I dealt with the offence politically. The new government is arresting our leaders and supporters in various false cases. But, they will not be able to finish the CPI-M,” Mr Bhattacarjee said.
The new government, he complained, lacked a clear policy and strategy for industry or agriculture and was thoroughly undemocratic in nature. “Farmers have been committing suicide, colleges are rocked by disturbances, changes brought in laws governing universities and attacks are being made against Opposition activists,” he alleged.
He expressed concern at farmers choosing the path of suicide after failing to sell their crop at the right prices and demanded to know why the government had no procurement policy which could have improved the public distribution system.
“This reflects not only in the Central policies which have resulted in the agrarian crisis, but also a gross failure of the state government to put in place a procurement machinery to purchase crops from farmers,” said Mr Bhattacharjee. He also alleged that the Trinamul-led government was making frivolous expenditure while failing to pay salaries of employees citing lack of funds. “The government is giving grants to clubs, but is not paying salaries to the transport department and other employees. The government is claiming lack of funds, but it is making frivolous expenditure,” Mr Bhattacharjee said.
Alleging that the present dispensation stopped government dole of Rs 1,500 to workers in closed tea gardens leading to starvation deaths, Mr Bhattacharjee said: “The government is claiming it has no money as we made the state bankrupt. But we had not stopped doles and subsidies.” Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra claimed that 31 farmers committed suicide because of poverty. The CPI-M state secretary and Left Front chairman, Mr Biman Bose, accused the Trinamul Congress of having hobnobbed with Maoists in Junglemahal.
Reaction to the charges, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said Mr Bose and Mr Bhattacharya were trying to create tension in Junglemahal to hamper the development work initiated by the chief minister.
“Mr Bose said that law and order in the state has deteriorated, but during the Left Front rule Anita Dewan was raped and murdered, scores of dacoity and murders took place,” he said.