Four fruitful years and counting...
26 May 2015 6:16 AM IST
Banerjee took oath as the Chief Minister of Bengal in 2011 after the Trinamool Congress won a landslide victory in the Assembly polls, unseating the Left Front, which ruled the state from 1977 to 2011.
“Despite the huge debt burden left over by the previous government; so many hurdles, financial constraints...We have delivered our best and fulfilled our commitment to the people of Bengal,” Banerjee said in a Facebook post.
“During the last four years, several schemes/projects of Bengal and our performance have won <g data-gr-id="50">acclaim</g> of international organisations like World Bank, United Nations, UNICEF, DFID and so on. Many of the schemes have got national recognition and we have been recommended as a model for other states to follow,” she said. The Chief Minister also conveyed her greetings to the people of West Bengal on the occasion. “We are indeed grateful to Ma, Mati, Manush (mother, soil and people) of Bengal for giving us the mandate to serve them,” she said.
Her party leaders have facts to back up her claim. “One of the key achievements of the Trinamool Congress government includes the success of 40 flagship programmes like Kanyashree, Yuvashree and more facilities for minorities, OBC and handicapped persons in the state. Providing <g data-gr-id="48">pension</g> for <g data-gr-id="47">artistes</g> from the theatre and film industry is also an achievement. Setting up of fair-price medical shops and electrical subsidy in the agricultural sector is also helping the common man at the grassroots,” MP and ex-Central minister in the UPA II government, Sisir Adhikari told Millennium Post.
The other factor is political stability, proven by Banerjee’s success in the Parliamentary elections in 2014 and the Municipal elections in 2015. The party swept 34 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats — one of the best performances ever. Professor Sougata Roy, Trinamool Congress MP, said: “The Mamata Banerjee-government has brought political stability to Bengal. There is no challenge to Banerjee’s leadership”. In the Municipal polls too, the Trinamool swept 114 out of 144 seats.
The Trinamool Congress formed the Board for the second term in a row, with <g data-gr-id="45">Sovon</g> Chatterjee being elected Mayor in this term as well. Roy adds that administratively, there is peace now in Darjeeling and <g data-gr-id="46">Jungalmahal</g>. The state has, in fact, carried development to the grassroots. “Electrification of villages; better roads and connectivity in the rural pockets have been achieved in just four years”. Roy went on to give the Banerjee government 8 out of 10 points for its achievements.
Though the news of Infosys pulling out of Bengal is doing the rounds, Ray is confident that in Bengal, industries are thriving amid the peaceful ambience of the state. “There are <g data-gr-id="57">less</g> labour problems, less number of lockouts now than during the erstwhile CPIM’s tenure. In terms of new investments, the <g data-gr-id="54">IISCO</g> plant modernisation project will be to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore,” he analysed. And, as far as big private sector companies investing in Bengal are concerned, there is a general slump <g data-gr-id="55">nation-wide</g>, which is affecting the state as well. “But we have set up industrial parks here along with small and medium enterprises which are doing rather well in the state”, he told Millennium Post.
MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, also the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the Vidhan Sabha, said: “Mamata Banerjee has already said that she has fulfilled her commitment to the people in the last four years of being in power. In terms of rural schemes, we have done well in Jal <g data-gr-id="51">dharo</g> <g data-gr-id="52">jal</g> <g data-gr-id="53">bharo</g> scheme, creating mandis for farmers; building schools, colleges and varsities wherever needed”.
Bengal on firm footing, financially more robust: Abhirup Sarkar
The state under the Mamata Banerjee government seems to be doing quite well, financially. The tax revenue as a <g data-gr-id="97">per cent</g> of the State Domestic Product has improved: it is at about five per cent now. It could have improved more but Bengalis spend more on consumables like meat and fish, which are non-taxable, than they would spend on say, buying a car. In terms of infrastructure, I feel that the condition of roads especially state highways <g data-gr-id="102">have</g> improved dramatically in the last four years. I travel a lot and feel that the condition of the National Highways is not as good. Say, if you are driving from Barasat to Siliguri, you realise that the Highways Authority of India haven’t done much and they would not do anything till they have acquired the entire stretch of the land. On the other hand, the road from Jalpaiguri to Siliguri has improved a lot in terms of maintenance.
The government has also done extremely well in terms of rural electrification and public distribution system.
I’d say that earlier, the block level party bosses or the panchayat <g data-gr-id="96">netas</g> had a lot of say in providing these services to the people. But now, works have sped up with the bureaucracy being made accountable for development. Also, the fact that Mamata Banerjee is holding review meetings with the district administration on a regular basis is having a positive effect on development.
As far as the state of industrialisation is concerned, the entire nation is not seeing any big industrial growth. Bengal is no exception. However, our industrial parks are doing well. There are small, medium and even big set-ups there in textiles, software etc. So far as the land problem goes in the state, I think it is over-hyped. All state governments are competing with each other in offering sops like tax and subsidies. All that the Trinamool Congress government has said is that it cannot forcibly take away land from the farmers.
It is only after fighting for farmers’ rights that the party came to power in 2011. Industrialists have to buy land in Bengal just as they buy other things while setting up a unit. Also, they cannot expect 1,000 acres of continuous land in prime areas, which are densely populated.
I feel <g data-gr-id="98">that</g> on the whole, the Mamata Banerjee government has done well enough to win the Assembly polls next year.
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