No differences with party, says Buddhadeb

In an apparent attempt to mollify hardliners in the party, especially trade unionists, ahead of the Assembly election in West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya yesterday said there were no differences between the state government and the party on economic reforms.

"Do you seriously think our party is opposing FDI?" he said at a press conference here. Nodding his head in approval was CPI(M) Politburto member Sitaram Yechury, who said his party had no problem with FDI as long as it added to production capacity and resulted in technological upgrade and employment.

Bhattacharya and Yechury appeared to be addressing the cadres in West Bengal as the two took turns to explain how the government and the party worked in unison.

This came in the backdrop of growing resentment in CPI(M)-backed trade union, CITU, which had not taken kindly to Bhattacharya's opposition to strikes, especially in the information technology sector. The CITU has also been ill at ease with the state government's tacit backing of the Centre's proposed labour reforms and pension Bill. On trade unions' opposition to his vision of industrialisation and pension reforms, the CM said his party was not opposed to industrialisation or FDI and whenever there was any issue, they discussed it together and come to a consensus.

Bhattacharya, however, left nobody in doubt that he remained committed to attracting foreign investment. He said he was trying his best to attract investment in the state and to this end, he had visited many countries including Japan, Italy, Singapore and Indonesia.

He was ready to go to any country if there was any possibility of attracting investment from there, he said, asserting that his government was going to speed up industrialisation and encourage knowledge-based industries. The party distanced itself from violent Naxal movements which have been gaining ground in some parts of West Bengal.

"Maoism is a new phenomenon. It is different from Naxalbari of the late 1960s. Old Naxalbari leaders are not with it," he said.

Rubbishing charges of "scientific rigging" in West Bengal elections, Bhattacharya said "minds of the people" were with the Left because of what its government had done in rural areas in the past 28 years.

"People who got land in our time will never vote against Left Front. Industrial workers and 80 per cent government employees are with us. You cannot change them scientifically," he said