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The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, announced that providing rice at Rs 2 per kg to every poor family in West Bengal and providing jobs for the youth will be the first two priorities of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front government if it returns to power for the eighth consecutive time in the coming Assembly polls beginning in West Bengal from April 18.
Addressing a rally in Harua in North 24 Paraganas district, Mr Bhattacharjee said that the rise in the prices of food and other commodities is making it impossible for the poor to cope and, and resolved to further strengthen the ration system in the State.
“The Left Front Government is already providing rice at Rs 2 per kg to 2.6 crore people in the State, and I give my word that I will extend this benefit to all the poor. For that we will have to further strengthen the existing ration system,” he said.
Pointing out that over 10 lakh students had appeared for secondary examinations this year, Mr Bhattacharjee said that it was imperative to provide jobs for the lakhs of youth passing out of different educational institutes every year.
“If our first priority is to provide food at low cost to all the poor in the State, our second priority is provide jobs to every youth. But jobs will not come without factories.
In the last few years we have tried to encourage more factories to come up and as a result of our efforts many small medium big units have come up. The biggest steel plant in the State is coming up at Salboni (Pashchim Medinipur),” he said.
In fact, according to Government sources, around Rs 15,000 crore investments have flowed into West Bengal in 2010 alone.
Referring to the Opposition's chant for “Paribartan” (change), Mr Bhattacharjee asked what it is that the Opposition wants to “change?”
Pointing out that the Left Front gave leadership to the Land Movement in the State and seized land from the big landowners to give to the poor and landless farmers, Mr Bhattacharjee said, “84 per cent of the agricultural land is today with the poor farmers; by change does the Opposition desire that land to be returned to the big landowners?”
He further said that should the Left Front be prevented from returning to power, those who would face the gravest danger would be the poor farmers.
Accusing the main Opposition, the Trinamool Congress of causing unrest and spreading violence all over the State, the Chief Minister said, “I promise to end this violence if we come back to power.”
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