The BJP's Bengal chapter criticised Mamata Banerjee’s annual Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), calling it an "optical illusion" aimed at covering up the state's lack of industrial progress. They threatened to release a "black paper" if the Chief Minister didn’t present a white paper on the real results of her industrial initiatives.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari questioned the investment claims made during previous summits and the actual implementation of those proposals on the ground.
At the summit, attended by business leaders like Mukesh Ambani and Sanjiv Goenka, Mamata Banerjee stated that more than Rs 12 lakh crore out of the total Rs 19 lakh crore investment proposals from the last seven BGBS events had already been implemented, with the rest still being worked on.
However, Adhikari and the BJP dismissed her statement. “Bengal is known for lacking industries. Forget the overall investment proposals since 2015. Will Mamata tell the people of Bengal how much of the Rs 3.76 lakh crore promised in BGBS 2023 has actually been invested?” asked Adhikari, the MLA from Nandigram.
Also Read: Bengal Global Business Summit kicks off in Kolkata
BJP General Secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay mocked the event, calling it an illusion created to hide Bengal’s industrial stagnation. He challenged the CM to release a white paper on the actual investments and threatened that the BJP would publish a "black paper" showing the true picture if she failed to do so.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya pointed to troubling statistics. He shared a report showing that from 2016 to 2021, 21,521 industrial units in Bengal closed down, displacing millions of workers.
Even the CPI(M), the state’s former ruling party, criticised Mamata’s claim. “The CM talked about investments worth around Rs 20,000 lakh crore, but in reality, not even Rs 20,000 crore has been invested. She attends luxurious events but has never been seen opening a new factory in Bengal,” said CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakrabarty.
Also Read: Mamata: Bengal’s GSDP outpaces national GDP
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