Photographs: Video: Dipak Chakraborty Indrani Roy Mitra in Kolkata
Ahead of the West Bengal assembly election, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee addressed the media on Wednesday. Indrani Roy-Mitra reports.
The Trinamool Congress has no chance of winning the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, said Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee at a press conference in Kolkata on Wednesday.
"The people of the state, as it has been often publicised by the Opposition, want a change. But sadly, they (Trinamool Congress) are yet to come up with a concrete plan as to what it intends to do," said the chief minister.
...
'No question of arresting Mamata'
Photographs: Dipak Chakraborty
I have complete faith in the people of West Bengal and I am sure they won't invite the gravest danger by voting for the Trinamool Congress," he said.
Answering a scribe's question if TMC chief Mamata Banerjee would be arrested in connection with earlier cases, the chief minister uttered a firm 'No'.
Expressing serious concern over inflation plaguing the country, Bhattacharjee said, "We have to take steps to increase agricultural production and counter middlemen's interference. Prices need to be controlled and more subsidy to be granted."
The chief minister was of the opinion that there is no lack of funds with the government exchequer. "If corruption is tackled, funds can be utilised to improve the country's economy", he said.
...
'West Bengal will see huge investments if we come to power'
Photographs: Dipak Chakraborty
Taking a dig at the 2G scam, Bhattacharjee said Rs 174,000 crore (Rs 1,740 billion) could have revamped the entire public distribution system. "As far as black money is concerned, funds stashed away abroad should be brought and put to proper use," he said.
Stressing on land acquisition vis-a-vis industrialisation, the chief minister said West Bengal will see huge investments in future should the Left Front come to power, and agriculture would flourish as well.
Speaking about Maoist insurgency and the unrest in the hills, he said breach of law and order and failure of administration should be dealt with a firm hand. "The Opposition is fanning the flames of disturbance to gain political mileage, and we have to handle the issue cautiously," he said.
...
'The TMC and Maoists are friends'
The chief minister made a special mention of catering to the minorities in future and also that of rectifying the faults of the Communist Party of India-Marxist to gain people's confidence.
Answering a question if he would like to be the chief minister again in case of a Left Front win, Bhattacharjee said, "That's for the party to decide."
Facing a question that how can he be so sure of Left Front returning to power when a change in the government is widely predicted, Bhattacharjee said, "Politics is not a simple arithmetic and two plus two is not always four.Sometimes they make a zero.
"You should keep in mind that those who voted against us in the last Lok Sabha and municipal elections have changed their mind". Bhattacharjee also claimed that no anti-incumbency factor would be able to work against the Left Front this time.
In a nutshell, the press conference was well-planned, calculated, disciplined and cerebral -- things that are conspicuous by their absence at a Trinamool Congress press meet.
article