Mamata Banerjee’s ‘central agency’ jibe at Bengal summit creates political ripples

Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging Governor Jagdeep Dhankar to ensure that “industrialists are not disturbed by central agencies” created political ripples in the state on Wednesday. Addressing the inaugural session of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2022 here on Wednesday, Banerjee said: “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 the honourable government to take the matter with the Union government so that we receive central assistance. At the same time, the industrialists should not be disturbed through any central agency.” Soon after Banerjee made the remarks, political reactions started pouring in from the opposition leaders, with most slamming the Chief Minister for her comments made at a business summit. State BJP chief and Lok Sabha MP Sukanta Majumdar said that the business summit was not the ideal platform for the Chief Minister to make such a political comment.

“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? “The Union government is always ready to cooperate with the state government on the issue of economic development. But the Chief Minister must first ensure an atmosphere of peace sans law and order issues in the state. If not, no industrialist would invest in the state,” Majumdar said. CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty accused the Chief Minister of using all platforms to convey her political views. “Here she indirectly referred to the industrialists to hint at the ongoing central agency inquiries in the state,” he said. State Congress President and senior party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury slammed both the Governor and the Chief Minister for allegedly using the business summit dais for airing their own political views. “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.Defending Banerjee for her remarks, Trinamool General Secretary and spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that the Chief Minister has rightly pointed out that whenever any industrialist shows eagerness to invest in the state, he/she is harassed by different central agencies. “So she rightly requested the Governor to look into the matter,” Ghosh said.