Centre neglecting farmers, scaring away industrialists: Mamata

Kolkata, Dec 6 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central government, accusing it of neglecting the farmers and scaring away industrialists from the country with hostile policies.

"More than 12,000 farmers have died in the country. Farmer suicide is happening every day in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. But there is no one to speak for them.

"The industrialists are being scared away from the country by this government (the Centre). They are threatened every day by the Income Tax department, the CBI and the Enforcement branch. More than 75,000 industrialists have left the country in the last four years," Banerjee said at a public rally.

"If an industrialist is forced to leave the country and take away Rs 500 crore or Rs 1,000 crore with him, calculate how much money has left the country. They (the Centre) promised to bring back black money and give 15 lakh to every Indian citizen. In reality, more money has gone out of the country that what has come in," she said.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-run governments of torturing the people of the minority community and the Dalits, Banerjee said the government should ideally look to stand by the farmers and labourers, and promote religious amity.

"The minorities are (being) attacked everywhere. People are being hanged, hacked to death and thrashed in the open streets for protesting against them. A group of Dalits was thrashed to death in Gujarat and when they (BJP officials and Ministers) come here they eat in the house of Dalits. What is the need of doing all this?" she questioned.

"I am also a believer in the Hindu religion but I do not have any right to hate the Muslims or the Christians. I can't do that. The Constitution does not give us the right. It asks us to be secular."

The Trinamool Congress supremo said that the agenda of elections should be development and government's success in protecting its people and not religious differences, as done by the BJP.

"The issues in election should be how much a government is successful in bringing development, if the government is able to provide the basic amenities of food, clothing and shelter to everyone, if they are able to achieve what they promised in the election manifesto," the Chief Minister said.

"But this government is trying to instruct people about whom people should accept as their leader, they are busy trying to divide people on religious lines."