West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that central agencies are harassing businessmen across the country. She advised businesmen not to cower in fear but approach the courts.
“People may bother you. It is not only you, all businesses are being harassed by agencies. Even my family is being harassed though I have not taken a single paisa or ever accepted even a cup of tea from anyone in my life. This is political vendetta. If anything happens, you (businessmen) should approach lawyers and the courts,” Ms. Banerjee said. The Chief Minister was addressing STATECON, 2023, a real estate convention in the city.
Only a few days ago on August 28, the Trinamool Congress chairperson had raised the issue of searches by the Enforcement Directorate at the office of Leaps and Bounds, a company where her nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee was a director. Mr. Banerjee has been questioned by central agencies in connection with the West Bengal school recruitment scam and coal pilferage scam.
Negative coverage
The Chief Minister also promoted West Bengal as an industrial destination. She condemned the media for trying to create a “negative picture” of Bengal. The media under political pressure is creating the impression that there was no development, only communal rioting, she said.
“This is just the opposite of actual conditions in the state ... I do not know why some in the media who are being urged by political parties are defaming Bengal by saying there is no development. This is absolutely wrong. If you see for yourself it will be apparent that Bengal is number one in every walk of life. We are number one in ease of doing business,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister spoke about economic corridors and said Bengal will not only transform into a gateway to eastern India but also a gateway to the world. Ms. Banerjee said that real estate prices in Kolkata had risen and asked builders to employ construction workers from the state.
“We have skilled workers from Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur districts. Some builders take them abroad, but they lack security there. These workers are our assets and I request you to bring them back. We will give you the database and you will get trained people. There are more than 50 lakh people,” she added.
