West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, accusing the saffron party of using its allies and appointees for political gain before abandoning them.
Speaking at the site of her indefinite protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Central Kolkata, Banerjee cited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the recently resigned West Bengal Governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, as prime examples of this "exploit and discard" strategy.
“Poor Nitish Kumar! He encouraged OBC-related politics before the Bihar Assembly elections. And now, after the elections, he is all set to be a Delhiite. Whoever falls into the trap of the BJP receives the same fate. You saw how C.V. Ananda Bose was removed.
He was forced to resign. BJP used people till their purpose is served,” Banerjee said from the dais of the protest, which began on Friday. The Bengal chief minister also criticised national economic policies, alleging that they place West Bengal at a disadvantage.
“Because of such national policies, coal produced in our state is taken away, and we are given a bad name in connection with coal smuggling. Coal is not within our jurisdiction but under the Union government. It is handled by Coal India Limited and the Central Industrial Security Force,” she said.
Banerjee further alleged that a deliberate campaign was underway to undermine the state’s investment potential. She highlighted ongoing development projects and industrial growth in the state. “Six economic corridors are being built in the state. Two thermal power plants of 1,600 MW each are coming up in Salboni.
The state is number one in the field of Information Technology. More people work here in this sector than in Bengaluru. A total of 200 new companies have come up. Those who defame Bengal should know that we are number one in the country in the small and medium enterprises segment.
We employ 15 million people. Seven and a half lakh people work in the leather hub,” she claimed. Banerjee also spoke about employment trends in the state, stating that the unemployment rate had fallen significantly over the years. “We have introduced special schemes for job-related training for the youth. We also have schemes for migrant workers who want to return to West Bengal,” the Chief Minister said.