Ridiculed for pleading

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to industrialists to invest in the far-flung districts of her state has provided the Opposition with fodder for humour. Last week, while addressing an event in Cooch Behar district in north Bengal, Banerjee said: "To all my industrialist friends, I urge you with folded hands. We are giving you 50 per cent subsidy, we will provide you whatever you want, in the faraway districts, where the opportunities are less, please come and invest." The Opposition interpreted the plea as a reflection of the poor condition of industry in the state. "If the industrial scenario was as good as she has claimed all these years, she would not have to plead like this," said state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The Bharatiya Janata Party took a dig at Banerjee over her much publicised foreign tours. "She went to London, Singapore; held business summits across India, but to no avail. Finding no takers, she now has to plead with the investors," said state BJP chief Rahul Sinha.