West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee slams anti-state propaganda, stresses harmony for development

SALBONI (WEST MIDNAPORE): CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the barrage of negative propaganda against Bengal, showcasing the 1,600-MW JSW power plant in Salboni and stressing the importance of unity and harmony in development.
“The synergy committee that we have formed has already approved investments of Rs 1,000 crore in the last 15 days. Five big companies are coming to the industrial park in Raghunathpur,” Banerjee said while inaugurating the Salboni plant. A hospital project — announced by Narayana Health founder-chairman Devi Shetty during the Bengal Global Business Summit — would be inaugurated later this month, she added.
Banerjee also gave details of a 660-MW power plant in Sagardighi that was nearing completion and the planned projects in Durgapur, Bakreswar and Santaldih, questioning the anti-Bengal propaganda and how these projects were taking shape if nothing ever happened in the state. “You can criticise me but cannot ignore me,” Banerjee said, adding that investments of Rs 13 lakh crore — out of the proposals worth Rs 19 lakh crore unveiled during BGBS — were already taking shape.
JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal backed up Banerjee’s claims, speaking about the development he was witnessing in Salboni, which he last visited 10 years ago. “Everyone is very positive about what is happening in Bengal,” he said, referring to other seniors in his team who made the trip with him.
Banerjee brought up the issue of unity and harmony and its role in development. “India is a vast country with many religions, languages, cultures, food habits and customs. We are a big family and we have to strengthen it, not divide it,” she added. Banerjee has harped on this issue several times in the backdrop of the Murshidabad violence and the protests against the centre’s new waqf law.
The CM reminded the audience of Bengal’s “load-shedding state” moniker when the Left Front was in office, contrasting it with the 24x7 power availability now. Rs 76,000 crore has been spent on infrastructure development since 2011 to ensure adequate generation, transmission and distribution of power. More than Rs 48,000 crore would be invested in the near future, she said, mentioning that the number of connections since 2011 had doubled to 2.3 crore.