Bhattacharya continues to sing confused tune

The state government appears to have gone into election mode as chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya spoke out against the central government's disinvestment and globalisation policies at the 76th annual general meeting of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on February 28.

Bhattacharya said the policy of disinvestment with regard to public undertakings was causing harm to the country's interest. ICC has been in favour of disinvestment and the chief minister's tirade was against the position held by his host.

"This policy is resulting in loss of jobs on an increasing scale and the problem is further complicated because of the absence of a social security net. Efforts should be directed towards strengthening the base of our national economy while integrating it with the international economic order," Bhattacharya grumbled.

Bhattacharya has been aggressively wooing foreign investors to the state. However, in his speech, he said the small-scale and agricultural sectors were suffering because of the globalisation policy of the Centre which gave foreign companies a free hand in the domestic market.

However, in highlighting the success of the IT sector in the state, Bhattacharya said international clients were serviced from Kolkata, like Hitachi, IBM, ABN AMRO, VISA and United Airlines, while IBM and Cognizant used Kolkata as a base.

The ICC AGM was held just three days after a strike called by his party, and the strike was enforced by Left cadres. Bhattacharya said, "Our government has made it clear that violence has no place in trade union activities. We have been consistently urging both the management and the labour force to maintain a relationship of harmony and understanding".

The state's police machinery had not prevented use of force by Left cadres to shut businesses on February 24, the day of the strike. Bhattacharya held his government was committed to supporting businesses.

Vikram Thapar, president of ICC, said the chamber would set up a meeting between an ambassador of an European nation and Bhattacharya soon.