Mamata’s call to Maa Mati Manush

9 October 2012

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK/ HALDIA, 9 OCT: Ahead of the Durga puja, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared a slew of development projects for the people of East Midnapore and urged the people to raise their voice against the Centre’s decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail.
On the second day of her two-day visit in East Midnapore (sns photo), Miss Banerjee slammed the UPA government saying, “looting is going on in the name of reforms”.
She said: “The Centre is trying to ruin and sell the country through its economic reforms. But I will not allow FDI in retail in our state. Like Nandigram, you (people) will have to raise your voice against the Centre now”.
“They have allowed FDI in retail, restricted subsidy on cooking gas and now, they will invest pension money in the share market,” Miss Banerjee said while addressing a public rally at Nimtouri in Tamluk this afternoon.
“The Centre wants to snatch your land and livelihood and set up Walmart here. But, I will not allow Walmart to enter. Do you know what FDI in retail means? How will small traders and farmers survive if they can no longer work? But, I have got nothing personal against Walmart.”
She said that in the USA, Walmart has been told that if it has to do business in America, it will have to buy 60 per cent of American goods. “But in our country,” she alleged, “The Central government did away with the 30 per cent restrictions that were there,” she said.
While talking about her government’s initiatives towards the betterment for the common people in the state, she asserted that her life was dedicated to the cause. “My government will never take any decision that goes against the interests of the people. I do not have a family of my own. Whatever I have is yours and I belong to you.  So long as I am alive, I will continue to work for the welfare of the people. I have dedicated my life to Maa Mati Manush,” she said.
“For the betterment of health services, three super facility hospitals will be set up at Nandigram, Tamluk and Egra. Another such hospital will come up at Panskura in the second phase plan. At every block in the district, there will be an ITI. Our government has sanctioned Rs 177 crore for the Kapaleswari-Keleghai river project to control flood in the area. I have also asked our Minister Soumen Mahapatra to visit Patna for implementing the  Ghatal master plan soon,” Miss Banerjee said.
She also blamed the erstwhile Left Front government for the widespread unemployment and the critical financial crisis in the state. “For the past few decades, there has been no employment generation. Under the new regime we have provided three lakh government jobs and we will continue to give more non-government jobs in the future,” Miss Banerjee said.
She reached Kolaghat in East Midnapore last night and held an administrative meeting with officials to take stock of the progress of the ongoing development projects. She inaugurated Dhunseri Petrochem and Tea Ltd’s second PET resin plant, JBL’s edible oil plant and ABJ’s logistic hub at Haldia before holding a mass rally at Nimtouri in Tamluk.
Surjya’s rejoinder to Didi 
KOLKATA, 9 OCT: Reacting to the CM's address in Tamluk today, Leader of Opposition Dr Surjya Kanta Mishra said: “She doesn't live a single day without telling lies. Today again she has said that the land in Singur is in the state government's possession, though the everyone knows that the matter is pending with the Supreme Court. She has announced projects worth more than Rs 58 crore today in Haldia, whereas her two MPs in the region are up in arms against the people working in the Haldia docks.” “Her new trend these days after quitting the Union government is to blame the Centre for everything. She is now blaming it for non-payment of ICDS and ASHA workers in villages.We think this will hold no ground among the people,” he said. sns