Kolkata, April 22 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power in West Bengal after the Assembly elections in the state this month, one of the top priorities of the new state government would be to bring back those industrial entities and business establishments which have shifted to other states during the last 15 years of the Trinamool Congress regime, allegedly because of the extortion syndicates run by leaders of the ruling party.
"The biggest problem in West Bengal is unemployment, and that is primarily because of the lack of adequate industrial activities and large-scale investments in the state. If the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, it will set up four new industrial townships in different parts of the state. The industrial entities that were forced to shift to other states because of the extortion syndicates run by leaders of the ruling party will be persuaded to return and will be brought back to West Bengal, " the Union Home Minister said while addressing a campaign rally at Habra in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday.
Speaking further on the occasion, he also launched a scathing attack against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for the latter’s recent comments where he described the Prime Minister as a "terrorist".
“The Prime Minister, who had virtually ended terrorism in the entire country, is now being termed as a terrorist. I think that because of his association with Rahul Gandhi, a veteran leader like Kharge has started making such baseless and irresponsible statements. Now the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, is an ally of the Congress at the national level. Does her party deserve any votes? If the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, the roots of terrorism from the state will also be eliminated like in other parts of the country, ” HM Shah said.
Later, while addressing another election rally at Saptagram in Hooghly district, the Union Home Minister said that the BJP had plans to reserve 33 per cent of state government jobs for women if it comes to power in West Bengal after the Assembly elections.
“At the same time, making the state free of illegal infiltrators will be one of our core missions and priorities. These illegal infiltrators are taking away employment opportunities from the local youth of the state. But Mamata Banerjee remains silent on this issue, since these illegal infiltrators are her dedicated vote banks, ” HM Shah added.