By IANS,
Sreerampore (West Bengal): Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s regime, saying that poverty and unemployment had increased during his seven years in office.
“The number of poor people and unemployed youths has increased during Manmohan Singh’s regime from 2004 to till date. The centre has done nothing to control price rise of essentials. They refuse to take any responsibility for price rise,” said Bhattacharjee.
“We had repeatedly asked the union government to make a uniform rationing system and fix the prices of essentials so that poor people can eat, but they have not agreed,” the politburo member of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said while addressing a party rally here in Hoogly district.
Bhattacharjee also mocked Banerjee’s visit to various markets of Kolkata last month, saying that prices of essentials will not come down by such visits.
Last month, Banerjee and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee visited Kole market and Gariahat market here and enquired about the prices of vegetables and spices.
Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and its alliance partner Congress swept the Left Front out of power after 34 years in the April-May assembly elections.
Bhattacharjee criticized the state government on various issues ranging from its refusal to place a full-fledged budget in the assembly to the ongoing political violence in the state.
“It is the first time in the state that the government has not placed a budget in the assembly. There have been no budget discussions. During our tenure, such things never happenned,” said Bhattacharjee.
“In most parts of the state we are not allowed to open our party offices and trade union offices. These offices have been forcefully occupied by Trinamool Congress supporters. Our supporters are being beaten up every day. We cannot accept this kind of atrocities,” said Bhattcharjee.
Bhattacharjee also accused the state government of bypassing the interests of the labourers of both organised and unorganised sectors.
“The state government is not interested in the improving the condition of the working class and labourers. During our tenure we decided to form a wage board for Jute mill workers. But this new government is not looking into the formation of wage boards,” he said.