Investment is a far cry in a State where more money goes into chit funds like Saradha than anything else, BJP president Amit Shah said on Wednesday while making a grim appraisal of the prevailing politico-economic situation in Bengal.
“The so-called Parivartan under the new Trinamool Government has eventually turned out to be fake rather than a real one,” Shah said, adding there was no proper environment for investment in the State as the law and order situation was grim and corruption was high.
The BJP president made the remarks while delivering a speech at the Indian Chamber of Commerce. “When the BJP Government came to power Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed upon the need for evenhanded development in all parts of the country as it had been noticed that even after 68 years of Independence the eastern part of the country lagged far behind than the western part.”
He said that India cannot achieve its 10 per cent GDP target unless the eastern States of the country develop as steadily as its western States. Shah insisted that the Centre was committed towards providing all help to the State so that it could develop at a steady pace.
“For that to happen, Bengal needs an investment-friendly environment. The State’s poor law and order situation and the bad name it has earned on account of the Saradha chit-fund scam and other scams are working as an impediment to the State’s development,” the BJP leader said.
“More money in the State goes into chit funds like Saradha than for the cause of industrial investment,” he said wondering how the industry could work in a State where there is bombing and bloodshed everyday.
“Who will invest in a State where bombs go off and there is political bloodshed everyday,” he wondered.
Shah’s speech came at a time when Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was away in Delhi to meet the Prime Minister to demand a flood-relief package for the State.
As an apology for the State’s poor record in infrastructure development, the Chief Minister had at regular intervals blamed the Centre for not releasing enough funds and its “deduction of a large part of our income from taxes as interests for the loan that was taken by the previous left Front Government.”
On the logjam in Parliament Shah said, “Whatever is happening in Parliament is unfortunate” and appealed to the Congress to support the GST Bill.