Unless law and order improves, none would invest in Bengal: Rajnath

Ridiculing the Mamata Banerjee government over its recent organisation of a business summit, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said unless the law and order situation improved in West Bengal, no investor would want to put in a penny in the state.

Addressing a public rally here in North 24 Parganas district, about 50 km from Kolkata, the BJP leader also described Bengal as the only state where political rivals were perceived as enemies.

"The Trinamool government is organising business summits, inviting foreign investors. But Mamata ji, I want to tell you, no matter how big an investment summit you organise, unless there is improvement in the law and order situation here, nobody would invest even a paisa in Bengal," Rajnath Singh said, referring to the Bengal global business summit held earlier in the month.

"You have to guarantee good governance, your government needs to display its commitment towards development. Only then, people will invest, only then Bengal's development is possible.

"There is no other way left, if you (Banerjee) really want to bring change, then you will have to guarantee development and good governance," he said.

Rajnath Singh also blamed the Congress, CPI-M and the Trinamool which have ruled the state at various times for Bengal slipping from its exalted position of being the industrial hub of the country.

He said there was a need to end political violence in the state.

"In other states, politics is done peacefully, political parties criticise each other on the basis of issues. But in Bengal, political rivals are perceived as enemies. This phenomenon was there during the Left Front rule and has continued under the Trinamool.

"I want to tell both the Communist and Trinamool leaders, in politics there can be rivalry but there are no enemies. So this cycle of political violence in Bengal needs to be ended," he said.

Assuring that the BJP will strive to bring back Bengal to its past glory, Rajnath Singh called upon the people to bring the party to power in Bengal.