Buddhadev blames land policy for lack of investment in Bengal

 Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, who favoured giving rival Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee “more time” to prove the credibility of her government, on Monday slammed the government for its flawed land policy which was behind the poor investment condition in the state.

“Agriculture alone can’t take us forward. We have to set up industries to provide jobs to youth. This government will not acquire land for industry. Then how will industry come to this state? As a result, not a single new industry has come to Bengal in the past year and a half,” Bhattacharjee, addressing a CPM youth wing (DYFI), rally in Tamlibandh, Bankura, said.

“Whatever is happening has been set up during the Left Front regime. The Jindal’s steel factory was inaugurated during our time. We had tried to acquire land for two more steel units in Purulia. We are fortunate that they haven’t left the state yet, but the work has stopped,” Bhattacharjee said.

Taking a dig at the government’s claim to have created 3lakh jobs in one year, Bhattacharjee said, “This government claims to have created three-lakh jobs in Bengal. Are people mad to believe this? Who are these people who’ve got these jobs? Do you know a single person among you to have got a government job in the past year and a half?”

With the young population in Bengal between the age group of 13-35 reaching a whopping 42.57 percent, Bhattacharjee said, “Where will the engineering students get jobs? Why others who didn’t get the opportunity to study that far, would be denied a job? Now, there are not enough people to study in the 40-50 engineering colleges we had set up in our tenure”.

Scoffing at Banerjee’s recent attack on the judges and the media, he said: “The government’s only job (it seems) is to threaten judges, commission heads and even media. This is because it can’t control the free-run of anti-socials. Cases of extortion, robbery or snatching are being reported daily. Things are even worse for women. It is for the people to judge now”.