Buddhadeb accuses Mamata of lying

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today accused Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of "lying" about setting up railway industry in the state and said she would not set up a single unit.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday accused Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of "lying" about setting up railway industry in the state and said she would not set up a single unit.

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"She is lying. Industry cannot be set up by lying. It does not require hard work to lie, but it needs hard work to set up industry," Bhattacharjee said at a Left Front rally here in North 24-Parganas district.

Charging the Trinamool Congress with opposing industry, the chief minister said, "It will not deter us. We will certainly listen to what the Opposition has to say, but we will not stop the drive for setting up more industries."

Despite the Trinamool's opposition to industry, the state had attracted Rs 9,000 crore of investments during 2009-10, he said, adding projects like the Jindal group's steel plant at Salboni, Essar's fertiliser unit at Panagarh, an airport and a township at Andal and a second electronics park at Siliguri were also coming up.

"The youth want jobs, but the Opposition does not. This year, 10 lakh students will appear for secondary examinations. There are eight engineering colleges, besides ITIs and polytechnics. Their students want jobs. For that, we need industry. And we need a peaceful environment if we are to set up industries," Bhattacharjee said.