Amit Shah holds roadshow in Singur, assures industrialisation

Shah is scheduled to hold three more roadshows in West Bengal

Seeking to corner West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the lack of industrialisation in the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that despite politically benefiting from the land agitation at Singur, she has done nothing for the development of the constituency.

The home minister also said that if voted to power in the Assembly elections, the BJP would ensure rapid industrialisation of the area. “If voted to power, we will develop Singur by rapidly setting up industries. We have announced the setting up of a Rs 500 crore intervention fund for the development of potato cultivation for which Singur is known in our manifesto,” said Shah. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a roadshow in Singur.

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He also said that after coming to power in Bengal, the BJP will ensure that small, medium and large industries are set up in the state. Taking a veiled dig at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo for opposing several decisions of the Centre, Shah said that the BJP will pursue politics of cooperation and not confrontation. “We will do politics of development, dialogue and cooperation and not the politics of confrontation,” said Shah.

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Taking potshots at the chief minister, Shah said that it was a welcome change that she was reciting Hindu religious hymns in public but added that it was too late for her.

Later at another roadshow in Kolkata, Shah claimed that the BJP will win at least 68 to 70 seats out of the 91 seats which went to polls in the first three phases. “Didi is a big leader. So you have to ensure that her exit from power happens in a big way. For that you have to ensure TMC’s defeat with a big margin and elect the BJP in more than 200 seats,” said Shah.

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The BJP has zeroed in on the former hotbeds of land agitations in West Bengal namely Nandigram and Singur alleging that even though the agitations catapulted the TMC to power in the 2021 Assembly elections, it has done nothing for the development of those areas. This became evident from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comment where he accused the TMC supremo of an “obstructionist mindset” hindering the development of the State.