KOLKATA, Jan 27: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday warned that attempts were being made to create unrest in the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and urged people to maintain peace and not fall prey to provocation.
Without naming anyone, Banerjee claimed that certain forces were trying to incite disturbances in the state for electoral gains. The Assembly elections in West Bengal are due in a few months.
She was addressing a meeting of industrialists and entrepreneurs at the state secretariat Nabanna after virtually inaugurating the renovated Sirity crematorium in south Kolkata and laying the foundation stone of a new crematorium at Doi Ghat in Watganj, also in the southern part of the city.“Some people are trying to incite riots for electoral gains. But we have to live together for 365 days. This Bengal belongs to everyone. I can assure you that Bengal is for all. This is your motherland,” the chief minister said.Referring to the impact of unrest, Banerjee said if any untoward incident affects certain communities, roads and railway tracks often get blocked, adding that she does not want such situations to arise.
“I want everyone to live together in harmony,” she said.The Bengal chief minister also highlighted the state’s industrial growth and said rapid development took place.“So many things have come up. The Eco Park, the Wax Museum, six economic corridors, so many universities and 43 multi-super-speciality hospitals have come up. We have so many factories. When I take a car from Howrah to Durgapur, cannot see any place left,” Banerjee said.She asserted that industries remained in the state due to a stable environment.
Banerjee said earlier that frequent strikes had led to the loss of 75 lakh mandays, but claimed that such losses had been eliminated now.In view of the situation, Banerjee urged migrant workers to return to West Bengal, assuring them that employment opportunities would be created in the state.She added that the state government regularly holds meetings with industrialists, involving senior officials. (PTI)
