Will set up industries, reopen closed factories, says Samik

Kolkata, May 17 -- Promising industrial expansion and employment in South 24-Parganas, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya on Sunday said the BJP government in West Bengal would reopen closed factories, bring fresh investments and develop Bengal into an investment hub.

Campaigning in Falta ahead of the May 21 Assembly bypoll for BJP candidate Debangshu Panda, Bhattacharya said industries would be set up in South 24-Parganas to create jobs for local youths. He also appealed to non-resident Indians to invest in Bengal, claiming the state was entering a new phase of industrial growth.

"We will establish industries in South 24-Parganas, reopen locked factories and provide jobs. Bengal will become an investment hub," Bhattacharya said during the campaign.

The BJP leader also launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress, accusing the party of having used violence and the police machinery for political interests during its years in power. He claimed the Trinamool Congress no longer had organisational strength in several districts and asserted that the party would eventually cease to exist politically.

Bhattacharya said he had expected to see Trinamool flags and posters on his way to the rally venue, but claimed there was hardly any visible presence of the party. "I had told you a year ago that Trinamool had gone, was going and would go. I have come only to remind you of that," he said.

Referring to districts such as Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, the Dinajpurs and Malda, Bhattacharya alleged that the Trinamool Congress had lost public support there. He also claimed political changes were visible in south Bengal, including in the Diamond Harbour region.

Bhattacharya further alleged that BJP workers had faced attacks during previous elections and claimed several party workers were killed before and after the 2021 Assembly polls. He also credited women in Hakimnagar for creating the peaceful political atmosphere around the Falta by-election campaign.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.