'Centre not giving clearance to open Dunlop & Jessop factories'
Chinsurah: Within 48 hours after PM Modi addressed a rally at the Dunlop ground, retaliating to his claim—from the same venue on Wednesday—that industries were being shut in Bengal, Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Modi-dispensation at Centre for not giving clearance to take over the closed Dunlop and Jessop factories by the state government for the past five years.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson also accused the BJP leaders for staying at the house of its owner Pawan Ruia against whom several cases are pending.
She asked the local people, who used to work at Dunlop factory, to put up posters against Pawan Ruia who cannot pay the dues of the employees but allows BJP leaders to stay in his house on Sarat Bose Road.
"I do not want to take names of these leaders. Instead, I will tell their names to Dilip Yadav (Trinamool Congress Hooghly district president) so that their names can also be mentioned in the posters," Banerjee said.
"The state government expressed interest in running Dunlop and Jessop in 2016. The Bills in this regard were passed in the Assembly and subsequent letter was written to the Centre for the same. It is 2021 now. They did not allow us to take over Dunlop and Jessop. We provide Rs 10,000 ex-gratia to support the employees of the closed factories. Narendra Modi should have given an answer first that why they have not given clearance for take over for the past five long years before addressing the rally in this Dunlop ground. Neither you (Modi) have taken any step nor allowed us to do (to reopen the factories).
"What is the name of the owner of Dunlop and Jessop? Yes, he is none other than Pawan Ruia. Do you all know how many cases are pending against him? In such a scenario, BJP leaders stay at his house. Taking away the rice of mazdoors, they (BJP) leaders now became the guests of Ruia at his Sarat Bose Road house. I will not listen to their tall talks," she said.
In the same breath, Banerjee has stated about the tradition of peace and harmony of Hooghly where people of different castes and religion stay together. "Do not cast a single vote in the favour of BJP. We have corrected all our mistakes. So this time vote for Trinamool Congress to ensure its win in all the 18 Assembly constituency seats in the district," Banerjee said at the mammoth gathering in which all the 15 MLAs of the party were present.
Trinamool Congress had won 16 out of 18 seats in Hooghly district in the 2016 Assembly polls. A couple of months ago defector Prabir Ghoshal, MLA from Uttarpara Assembly constituency, joined BJP.
