Congress Alleges Threat to West Bengal’s Industrial Wealth by Modi Government’s Policies

West Bengal, India - The Congress party on Friday alleged that the industrial wealth of West Bengal is under threat due to the “crony capitalist policies” of the Modi government. The party questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would provide a written guarantee that he will not sell public sector steel plants such as Durgapur to his “friends”.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed these questions to the prime minister ahead of his Lok Sabha poll rallies in West Bengal. He expressed concerns over the privatisation of the Durgapur Steel Plant, which he claimed would endanger thousands of livelihoods and disrupt the economic life of Durgapur.

Ramesh argued that the privatisation of the plant would also be a severe blow to the small and medium suppliers and contractors who support the plant. This comes at a time when MSMEs in Bengal have already been severely impacted by the triple threat of demonetisation, GST, and the unplanned lockdown.

Ramesh further claimed that the Modi government has failed to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy adequately. While the UPA raised the MSP of paddy by 134% during its tenure, the Modi government has just raised it by 50%, he claimed.

He pointed out that the current MSP of Rs. 2183 per quintal is nowhere near enough to account for inflation and the rising prices of farm inputs. He also claimed that the Modi government has blocked National Health Mission funding to over 11,000 sub-health centres in West Bengal.

These sub-health centres, which are supposed to be called Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, form the first line of defence for India’s poor. They are staffed by nurses and provide vaccines for children, tablets, and medicines for common fever, malaria, TB, and other infectious diseases.

Ramesh criticised the Modi government for what he called a “petty and vindictive move” to block funds just because the state government refused to rename sub-centres ‘Ayushman Arogya Mandir’ and paint them orange.

The Congress party’s Nyay Patra pledges a legal guarantee for MSPs as per the Swaminathan Committee recommendations. Ramesh asked if the Prime Minister could make a similar promise.

The Congress party’s allegations come amidst concerns over the future of West Bengal’s industrial sector and the livelihoods of its people. The party has called for a commitment from the Prime Minister to protect the public sector and the interests of the people.