The Hindu Business Line : PMO not a shopping mall, says Bengal CM

THE West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has declined to place a `Bengal Package' type of charter of demands before the Congress-led Government at the Centre.

Talking to reporters at the State Secretariat here on Monday, after his return from New Delhi, he said: ``I do not think it is right for us to pressure the Centre to extract concessions for the State. Just because we have extended our support to the Government, I do not believe in the policy of extracting one's pound of flesh in this manner.''

The West Bengal CM rather favours adopting a issue-based approach to the various problems facing the State and take them up with the respective ministries. ``The Prime Minister's Office is not a shopping mall", he remarked in a lighter vein.

Mr Bhattacharjee admitted that there were about 15 issues pending since 1999, which need to be addressed. These spanned a number of areas like fiscal problems, foreign funding, Indo-Bhutan Treaty, grains procurement, jute and civil aviation.

Under fiscal issue, the State wanted discussion on funds devolution and small savings, while the high interest rates on foreign funds was a problem area.