Calcutta, Jan. 8: The CPM started its election campaign this afternoon seeking the people’s mandate for another five-year term.

The leaders spoke at length on chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s bid to turn Bengal into an IT powerhouse and unleash an industrialisation drive.

“During my 23-year rule, nothing much could be done in the IT sector because of opposition from the late Indira Gandhi, who didn’t allow me to set up the industry. During Buddhadeb’s time, IT has come up in a big way at Salt Lake, where nearly 24,000 youths are working round the clock,” said Jyoti Basu.

Bengal, which was in the grip of a severe financial crunch, has been able to come out of it under Bhattacharjee, the former chief minister added. “This government has achieved a lot by being austere and taking measures to mop up revenue. In the first nine months of 2004, it spent Rs 2,000 crore on planning. During the same period of 2005, it spent nearly Rs 4,000 crore on projects.”

There were more paeans for the party’s poster boy from its veteran of many poll battles. Basu said the chief minister had taken a personal initiative to remove the slur on Bengal that industrialists were reluctant to invest because of strikes. “Things have changed a lot over the years. The industrialists are now coming to invest here.”

Continuing with the shower of encomiums on Bhattacharjee, Anil Biswas said: “The government is determined to make Bengal an industrially advanced state ? like it was before Independence. This time, industrialisation is our major poll plank.

“Industries will generate employment.”

Basu made no bones about the government’s decision to recruit people to all its departments only months ahead of the elections.

“About 30-40,000 teachers are being recruited to fill up vacancies,” he said.

Bhattacharjee lapped up the praise and said not only big industries but also small factories are coming up across Bengal. “We are trying to revive the closed jute mills and tea gardens as well. Ind-ustrialists have shown keen interest to invest here.”

Observers said the CPM’s projection of Bhattacharjee as the star of its campaign should give the front an edge over the Opposition parties in the run-up to the Assembly elections.