Experience as Bengal guv both sweet & sour: Tripathi

Outgoing Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has described his experience in West Bengal as "sweet and sour", maintaining that education and law-and-order situation in the state should to be improved to ensure its overall progress.

Tripathi, who has had several run-ins with the Trinamool Congress government during his five-year stint, said "somehow" industrialists were not keen on investing in the state despite the government's sincere efforts in that direction.

"My experience as the governor of West Bengal is sweet and sour, with more on the sweeter side. Sour in the sense that sometimes what was happening in West Bengal was not to my liking," he told PTI.

"I think things can be improved here, when it comes to law and order, in educational matters, in maintaining autonomy of universities, upgrading the status of primary and middle-level education and bringing about industrial growth," Tripathi said.

The governor has also said on Saturday the alleged "appeasement policy" of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was adversely "affecting" the social harmony of the state.

Asked about his opinion about the reasons for the state, which was once among the most advanced, to trail behind others, Tripathi said it had started during the tenure of the earlier governments.

"Calcutta was really the main business centre of the country. Jute, tea, garments, paper, automobile and so many flourishing industries were here," he said. "But somehow, a situation so developed that people either were dissatisfied or did not get enough incentive. Therefore some industries chose to shut down and expected business did not come."
Asked whether he was referring to the Singur agitation that had resulted in the exit of the Tata Motors from West Bengal, Triptahi said: "You see it is not a matter related only to the Tata's exit. It is about gaining the confidence of industrialists as a whole so that they invest in West Bengal."