News Politics National Mamata's business meet: Songs, politics overshadow economics

Mamata's business meet: Songs, politics overshadow economics

Haldia (West Bengal), Jan 16: The big names from the corporate world gave it a miss, there were no fresh concrete business proposals, and the chief minister spent the major part of her speech attacking

Though she reiterated her government's hands-off policy on land acquisition that leaves it to the individual entrepreneurs to acquire land for their projects, Banerjee promised to give all clearances within a seven days to projects once they are through with getting the land.

But she spent most of her time in attacking the central government for not giving a three-year moratorium to her debt-ridden government for paying the interest on central government loans. "We did not take the loans. These were left for us by the former Left Front regime. We are not asking for any undue advantage. We are only asking for debt restructuring," Banerjee bemoaned.

Assailing the opposition CPI-M, she said for three years the Left front (led by the CPI-M) had "finished" the industrial prospects of the state, which had to cope with regular shutdowns. road blockades and strikes.

Her next target was the media.

"Some media groups based in Bengal sing paeans about Gujarat. They've been constantly comparing our state with Gujarat and doing negative publicity... "They (media) don't love us. They don't want us as I am not from a family with a golden spoon," she said.