CPM bats for FDI, new industries

With the matter of farm land being given to industries becoming a major issue in West Bengal after the entry of the Indonesian company, Salim Group, the CPI(M) is at pains to explain that this was a necessary step forward after scripting a success story in agriculture since it came to power in 1977.

"Unemployment is on the rise in rural areas. If we do not take advantage of the situation and refuse to go for industrialisation, it will be catastrophic for land reforms," CPI(M) State Secretary Anil Biswas said in an interview.

"Since the Left Front formed the government in West Bengal in 1977, our land reform and Operation Barga has enabled the state to have surplus farm production," he said.

The expectations of farmers and living standards had gone up with the success of land reforms and the Operation Barga, he said, adding they were looking forward for greater returns, which a judicious mix of agriculture and industry would enable.

The CPI(M) will, however, have to explain how it planned to balance the thrust on rural development and industrialisation as the Opposition is sure to go hammer and tongs against the apparent dichotomy in the Marxist thinking.

Biswas said the party's position was clear and there was no room for confusion. The CPI(M) is contemplating to go to the Assembly polls next year projecting Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee's FDI-driven industrial initiatives and economic reforms.

"When we are running the government, we shall avail of FDI wherever necessary. But certainly, we will take some safeguards so that economic sovereignty is not bartered away," he said. Biswas made it clear what the chief minister had been doing was not merely his individual initiative, but the culmination of the party's thinking.

"Invitation of foreign direct investment to West Bengal is not the chief minister's thinking. This is the thinking of entire party," he said.

The 'reformist' Marxist chief minister has already visited Italy, Singapore and Indonesia inviting foreign direct investment to rejuvenate the state's economy.

The CPI(M) leader said there was a marked difference between the Centre's stand on foreign direct investment and that of the Left Front government.

"The Centre's foreign direct investment policy is prompted by anxiety to meet budgetary deficits whereas we want foreign direct investment to promote development mainly in health, education and restructuring of loss-making state undertakings," he said.