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Monday, Jan 14, 2008
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Government will ensure that farmers’ interests are safeguarded: Buddhadeb

Marcus Dam

KOLKATA: “It is the moral responsibility of the State government to ensure that the economic interests of those families whose lands need to be acquired for setting up new industries are safeguarded,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here on Sunday. “We are responsible for their futures,” he added.

“Do we have to learn from the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, what is best for the farmers? We have been in the government for the past 30 years and even our foes will not be able to say that West Bengal has moved backward during this period,” he said.

Reiterating the need for more industries for the overall development of West Bengal, Mr. Bhattacharjee said his government, when required, would ensure that minimum agricultural land that was least productive would be acquired for purposes of industry.

At the same time, steps were being taken not just to consolidate successes in the agricultural sector that had been achieved over the years but also to increase productivity.

Thrust needed

The Chief Minister, who was addressing the open session of the 22nd State Conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the State could not move forward unless a thrust was made towards greater industrialisation.

“It is not a question of whether the Tatas, the Jindals, or the Birlas are investing. Neither of whether the investments are coming from China, Japan or the United States. Our question is the number of jobs the factories to be set up will generate,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said. Emphasis was being put on new small and medium-sized units.

Job opportunities

“What does one say to the thousands of youth waiting for employment?” he asked. “This is not a contest [of views] between the State government and the Opposition but a move to ensure the future of thousands belonging to the future generations,” the Chief Minister added.

Imperative for development was peace “but there are certain forces which are bent on fomenting trouble under any pretext,” the Chief Minister regretted. “We are aware of a stirring of such forces,” he added. He pointed out that parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and naxalite groupings that had diverse political ideologies were banding together.

“There are also the Maoists who enter the State under the cover of darkness, murder our leaders and flee back. What sort of politics is this?” he wondered.

Plea to Opposition

Mr. Bhattacharjee repeated his appeal to the Opposition to discuss with the government any reservations it might have on the State’s industrial and agricultural policies.

“We want peace, we want discussions,” he added.

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