New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party chief L.K. Advani said the scenario of Indian agriculture, small scale industry and the informal sector did not give him much cheer, though he felt the country was fast becoming a key player.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), he questioned the ruling party's concern for the "aam aadmi" or the common man in whose name it had sought votes in the last elections.

He sought to know how much attention was being paid to the plight of farmers, fishermen, animal husbandry and construction workers as well as for slum rehabilitation and drinking water in rural and urban areas. He said big schemes were being announced but he was not confident about their implementation.

Stressing that these are areas of direct concern for the corporate sector, he said the country could not achieve balanced and sustainable development without addressing the needs of such neglected constituencies.

He said the wheel of history was turning inexorably in India's favour and it was destined to soon emerge as one of the front-ranking nations. He pointed out that momentous changes were taking place in the world in all areas including the economic field, in international relations and in technology. In this new world order, he said the nation was recognised as an important player along with China. A few years ago, he noted the reference was only China but now the two countries were bracketed together.

He highlighted the increasing flow of successful non-resident Indians returning to the country and the growth of foreign professionals seeking greener pastures in this country.

`Invest in Bihar'

The BJP chief invited captains of industry to begin investing in Bihar as "jungle raj" in the State had ended. He assured investors that Bihar would now be "brought back into the mainstream of development" while law and order would be restored by dealing firmly with corruption and criminals.

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