Why go to Singapore when against FDI, Jaitley asks Mamata

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday questioned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent Singapore visit to attract investment, noting that her Trinamool Congress had opposed FDI in defence on the ground that it was opposed to foreign funding.

Addressing a party meeting here, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader also said that the Banerjee government's economic policies, identical to the Left Front, were putting the state's economy in peril.

"When we took the decision to allow FDI in defence, only the Trinamool and the Left had opposed. When I asked Trinamool MPs, isn't it better that weapons are made in India instead of being imported, they had said they are opposed to foreign money," said Jaitley.

"If they are so much opposed to foreign money then why have they gone to Singapore to attract foreign investments? What kind of politics is this," he said, referring to Banerjee's maiden foreign visit after assuming power in Bengal.

Jaitley also said the "populist" economic policies of the Trinamool were burdening the state economy resulting into a growing discontent among the masses.

"Trianmool's economic planning is identical to the Left which is to depend only on borrowings. Most of Bengal's revenue now goes towards servicing debts. What is the use of such populism that you can't run the state," he asked.

He said the Trinamool was aping the Left by pursuing the politics of looting votes and indulging in vote bank populism.

He also ridiculed the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front saying much like in the rest of the world, the Left has disintegrated in Bengal.

"What to say about them, the Left was not even in the contest during the Lok Sabha polls," he quipped.