No alternative to Left Front: Buddhadeb

Claiming that there was no alternative to the Left Front government in West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today questioned the Trinamool Congress' call for change in the assembly elections.

"What change is contemplated by this indisciplined and directionless party which indulges in violence? There is no alternative for the people of West Bengal and I am sure people will apply their mind in the elections," he told a meeting of teachers and non-teaching staff at Bejoygarh in his Jadavpore assembly constituency.

He asked whether the change referred to by the Trinamool Congress would mean taking away land from farmers, closing down educational institutions or laying off workers of industrial units.

Bhattacharjee alleged that Trinamool Congress had no plans and programmes except for stalling development initiatives of the state government.

Claiming success of the Left Front government in the educational sector since 1977, Bhattacharjee said "our state's literacy rate is 3.5 times higher than the national average". The government, he said, had prepared an educational map to pinpoint areas of development to further improve the quality of primary education in the state. "We have to further improve quality of primary education and open more centres of excellence," he said, adding that the state government would not encourage setting up of private universities.