Mamata exhorts industry to invest in West Bengal

Praises Modi's Gujarat, says Gujarat has been nurtured and it is progressing

The Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government came in for high praise from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today with Banerjee extolling the “progress” in the state.

“Gujarat has been nurtured and it is progressing,” said Banerjee.

Addressing captains of industry at the 85th AGM of FICCI, she, however, cautioned them from comparing Gujarat with Bengal.

“Bengal has not been nurtured we are dealing with the legacy of a (Left Front) government of 35 years,” she said.

Venting her ire, at the UPA government, which Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress quit a few months back, she questioned how the Centre allowed the previous government to incur such massive debts.

“Bengal is one of the most debt ridden states in India,” she said.  

Inviting businessmen to invest in the state, Banerjee promised that land for industry has been identified, labour is cheap and “to increase working capacity is our mission.”

An astute politician, Banerjee did not miss the opportunity to mark out herself as “distinct from other politicians – there are the good politicians, the bad politicians and the “dubious goody goody types,” she said.

In an impassioned plea to industry leaders in the capital, the Bengal CM said that former Ficci front man Amit Mitra, who is her Finance minister, has been guiding the economic policy in her state.

“I told Amitda, you are a Ficci person. You prepare my manifesto and then join me,” said Banerjee. She claimed that 99% of the commitments that she had made to the people have been fulfilled in the last one and a half year rule of her government.

“Bengal is number one from small scale industry view”, said Banerjee, adding that the state had an impressive GDP growth of 6.94% while India’s GDP was at 5.5%.

Giving a glimpse of the plans that she has envisaged for the state, Banerjee spoke of the tourism prospects in the state, “Sundarbans can have an African Safari, Ganga Sagar can have a beach like Goa; you can set up hotels and spas there.”

Attempting to alleviate the “misconceptions” about the state’s land policy for industry, she said they have recently simplified it.

“Earlier my industrial policy was 99 pages now it has been cut down to size to seven pages,” she said.

“Industry can only be set up with peaceful means, with co-existence of people and industry. You cannot acquire the land forcibly and then fire the people. That will not work,” she cautioned.

The state, she said, had identified large tracts of land for industry and there was no problem, she categorically stated to investors, who would possibly be reminded of the Singur fiasco. 

While Banerjee may not have spoken polished English but she definitely succeeded with her passion and conviction in communicating her message to industry:  “transparency and accountability is our only asset, “ she stressed. A message that was acknowledged even by HSBC’s Naina Lal Kidwai, who extolled the CM for the “transparency” in her approach.