BJP accuses Mamata Banerjee of 'lying' over investment claims

Banerjee had on Wednesday said the state has emerged as a front-runner in receiving concrete big industrial investment intentions.

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday rejected as a "lie" West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assertion that the state is a front-runner in receiving big industrial investment intentions, alleging that it ranks much lower in its share of actual investment.

Banerjee on Wednesday said the state has emerged as a front-runner in receiving concrete big industrial investment intentions.

Citing a report published by the central government's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the chief minister claimed Bengal has surpassed all the states in attracting (big) corporate industrial investment intentions in 2024.

BJP's co-incharge for the state, Amit Malviya, said, "Stop lying Mamata Banerjee. Here is a fact check on West Bengal's Investment Intentions vs Actual Investment."

Citing official figures, he said West Bengal ranked fourth in investment intentions for January-November 2024, attracting proposals worth Rs 39,133 crore (7.45 per cent of total investment intentions).

However, it saw a major gap in actual investments, ranking 14th in realised investments with only Rs 3,735 crore (1.2 per cent of total investment) till November 2024, down from Rs 4,930 crore in 2023, he added.

He said the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas, launched in August 2020, has onboarded data for 2,884 industrial parks across 35 states and Union Territories except West Bengal. This exclusion signals the state's lack of commitment to Ease of Doing Business, he alleged.