Intensifying her attack against the Congress-led UPA government, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday called upon the people to unitedly fight the anti-people policies. “They have removed the subsidy from LPG cylinders, increased the price of diesel, increased the railway passenger fare in AC classes and freight on goods. By bringing FDI in multibrand retail, they are planning to send the poor vegetable vendor and small trader out of business. It is only the WalMart which will rule,” she claimed. Ms Banerjee was speaking at a government programme in Howrah district. She once again made it clear that she would never allow the FDI to enter Bengal. “I will never allow it in my state. I am not ready to bow my head. Some people who are sitting in Delhi and who have no understanding of the woes of common people have taken these decisions,” she added.
Lashing out against the Centre, the CM said that it drastically raised the price of fertiliser from `4,000 to `1,7000 per tonne ignoring my repeated requests. “It is time you must recognise these people who have snatched the happiness of common people,” she said.
Ms Banerjee claimed that it was not Bengal alone but crores of people from across the country were opposing the recent reformists policy decisions of the Centre.
“They are claiming that they cannot continue the subsidy because of shortage of funds. But they do not give subsidy from their own pocket. It is given from the various taxes they collect from the people including income tax,” she claimed. The chief minister also accused Prime Minister of going back on his promise to give a special economic package to West Bengal. “The Prime Minister had himself promised before the Assembly election. It is the Left Front which exhausted the coffers. But I promise you that Bengal will hold its head high,” she added. Before addressing the rally at Uluberia Ms Banerjee laid the foundation stones of a number of development projects including a new collectorate building, new food department building and a minority building.