Mamata completes four years in office

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress government completed four years in power on Wednesday amidst an outbreak of political violence in different parts of the state and speculation that she might bring forward the schedule for the 2016 Assembly polls.

The CM, who congratulated the people of the state in a message on Facebook, highlighted her achievements “despite financial constraints”.

“Today our government completes 4 years in office. In spite of the legacy of the huge debt burden left by the previous government, so many hurdles, financial constraints... we have delivered our best and fulfilled our commitments to the people of Bengal,” she wrote. “Heartiest congratulations, greetings and best wishes to all my brothers and sisters and our family of West Bengal government,” she added.

Banerjee marked the day by giving away the Banga Bhushan and Banga Bibhushan awards, the state’s highest honours constituted by her government in 2011, at a glittery and star-studded ceremony on Wednesday evening to leading personalities from the fields of art, culture, cinema, literature and journalism. 

At the ceremony, she reminded the listeners about “Ma-Mati-Manush (mother, motherland and people)” and claimed that despite the debt burden left behind by the previous Left government her administration has achieved much of its pre-poll promises.

She said during the last four years, “several schemes/projects of Bengal and our performance have won acclaim of international organisations like World Bank, United Nations, UNICEF, DFID and so on. Many of the schemes have got national recognition and have been recommended as models for other states to follow.” 

Even as the opposition parties raised questions on the poor law and order situation in the state, highlighted by the ongoing clashes between Trinamool and BJP workers at Birbhum, Banerjee turned a deaf ear to all criticism.

Extolling the virtues of her government, she expressed her gratitude to the people of the state “for giving us the mandate to serve them”. She referred to her party’s recent victory in the statewide municipal polls where Trinamool received a thumping majority, winning the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and more than 70 of the 93 civic bodies.