BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya on Thursday urged industrialists not to leave Bengal and wait for one more year for an industry-friendly atmosphere in the state.
“I will request industrialists from Bengal, please don’t leave the state and wait for one more year. The BJP will provide you with a proper industry-friendly atmosphere with the help of Narendra Modi,” Bhattacharya told a news conference in Durgapur on the eve of the visit of the Prime Minister on Friday.
The BJP state president said Bengal had enough potential for massive industrialisation, but because of unstable law and order and lack of initiatives by the present government, the state had not flourished properly.
“When Tata’s Nano factory was coming up at Singur, a positive message had gone to industrialists in other states. Fresh possibilities of industrialisation in Bengal were emerging, but because of a lack of foresight of the CPM and stubbornness of the Trinamool Congress, the possibilities died soon,” Bhattacharya said, adding that a strong anti-industry message had gone after the Tatas had left Singur.
“The industrialists started believing that setting up a factory would be a tough task in Bengal as the Trinamool government doesn’t have a comprehensive land policy, which is very much important in industrialisation. This government has no interest in industry and business,” he said.
In the state-sponsored Bengal Global Business Summits (BGBSs), those industrialists are seen standing on both sides of the chief minister, but they did not invest in Bengal.
“This government is all about propaganda on industrialisation. The Chief minister is very keen on announcing investments after the yearly industry summit, but in reality, nothing has been done. We need a proper land policy, and we will follow the Haryana, Punjab and Maharashtra model,” said Bhattacharya.
He said the Prime Minister would inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several Centre-funded projects worth over ₹5,000 crore in Durgapur on Friday.
The projects include the 132km-long Durgapur-Calcutta natural gas pipeline under the City Gas project, expansion of the DVC’s two thermal power stations at Bankura’s Mejia and Purulia’s Raghunathpur and the Durgapur-Haldia natural gas pipeline.
Modi will land at the Kazi Nazrul Islam airport in Andal and then proceed to the Nehru Stadium, 15km away, in the Durgapur steel town by road. Sources said he might hold a 3km roadshow after his convoy reaches Gandhi More crossing in Durgapur.