A forum designed to draw global investment in an industry-starved State on Wednesday turned into a showground of political jibes with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar trading politically-laced remarks at the much-touted Bengal Global Business Summit attended by a galaxy of foreign business delegates from all over the world.
While Dhankhar in his inaugural speech called upon the Chief Minister to segregate development and partisan politics, Banerjee made use of her closing speech asking the Governor to advise New Delhi not to get the Agencies to disturb the industrialists.
“It will be appropriate for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to proactively catalyse ‘development bonhomie’ with all concerned as it is imperative to distance development from partisan stance,” the Governor said adding a greater sync between the State and the Centre could better serve the cause of industrial development.
“A greater reflection of (the) political spectrum of the state in participation in such ventures would surely be motivationally wholesome,” he said adding “this could fructify by synergic working between the government at the Centre and the State.” Bengal must work to be a “significant part of the ongoing script of India’s economic rise by credibly exemplifying its commitment to transparent accountable decision making that is pivoted on systemic and not individualistic functioning,” he maintained apparently unmindful of the expressions on the face of an “embarrassed” group of Cabinet ministers sitting on the dais.
Though the Chief Minister summed up her speech dishing out a “data of positivities in Bengal” she hit the Governor back by politely asking him to advise the Union Government not to use the central Agencies against the investors.
Banerjee told looking at Dhankhar, “I want to tell the honourable Governor that we are all ready to cooperate with the Union Government to ensure economic development of the state and the country… But I would also like to request to take the matter with the Union government so that we receive central assistance.
“I want to tell one thing … If you don’t mind… Your Excellency, Governor Sir… On behalf of all the industry … they (investors) cannot open their mouth … please see that industrialists should not be disturbed through some agencies.”
She asked the Governor to raise the issue in the Governors’ meet.
For the records there was no love lost between Bengal’s Trinamool Congress Government and the BJP-run Centre.
Banerjee also reminded that her Government never discriminated among castes, creed or religion. “All are like family members in Bengal,” she said. “Forget you are from Gujarat or Maharashtra, when you are in Bengal, you are our family member,” she said, adding, “In Bengal, mandir, masjid, Gurudwara all are together, like our bodies. (there is) No division.”
State BJP president Sukanto Majumdar reacted to her remarks saying a global business summit was not the place for a Chief Minister to make political comments. “Such comments send wrong signals to the business fraternity. She publicly referred to the industrialists being disturbed. Did she actually refer to her party colleagues and family members who are under the lens of the central probe agencies?
Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Chowdury and State PCC president too criticized the Chief Minister and the Governor for making political statement in a business meet. “Such comments by the executive and constitutional heads of the state do not send the right signal about the image of the state,” Chowdhury said.
Marxist opposition and the former rulers of the State too called her statements “out of place remark.” CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty said by making such politically laced statements the Chief Minister proved that the so-called business meet is just a tamasha and not a serious venture to attract investment. “What message will it send to the world investors about a State where the Governor and a Chief Minister trade blows … will they dare to invest in the State …” he said.