In an all-out political speech, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made an attempt to woo industrialists by promising a new industrial policy when “the new government comes to power at the Centre” after the general elections.
According to her, the “new policy” at the national level will ensure that industrialists who have left the country come back.
Anti-BJP alliance
Banerjee is part of the anti-BJP juggernaut along with the Congress, BSP and SP among others who are trying to form an alliance at the national level. Banerjee, along with some other regional leaders, is said to be in the fray as PM candidate.
“To those who have left India, I request you to come back and invest here. I know you are facing difficulties. But after the government changes at the Centre, I assure you we will have a better (industrial) policy,” she said while addressing industry captains at the fifth edition of the State’s flagship investor meet, Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS).
With industry tycoons such as Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries; and Sajjan Jindal, CMD, JSW Group, by her side, the Chief Minister made it clear that development and investments should not be restricted to Bengal only.
“Why only Bengal? My Punjab must also grow; my Rajasthan should grow too. States such as Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and others must also grow,” she said.
Banerjee also asked industrialists to maintain a balance between business and social security. She highlighted the social security schemes that the West Bengal government has undertaken.
Businessmen, she said, should not overlook development of the poor. The rural populace in Bengal remains Banerjee’s core constituency and she had no qualms about speaking up for them even in the investors’ summit.
Flagship social sector schemes such as ‘Kanyashree’ (for the education of the girl child and the prevention of child marriage), providing rice at ₹2 per kg covering 90 per cent of Bengal’s population, and free treatment to the poor at government hospitals found place in her pitch.
Better connectivity
Pitching Bengal as a gateway to the East India, North-East India and Bangladesh, Banerjee spoke of improved connectivity to South East Asian nations such as Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and others.
The perception about Bengal, she said, is changing. The number of mandays lost has gone down while other indices such as revenue deficit and fiscal deficit numbers have improved, she added.