Kolkata, December 18 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, defended the businessman and industrialists who are facing harassment from Central investigation agencies.

Addressing a business and industry conclave at an auditorium in Kolkata, Chief Minister Banerjee said that business won’t come if the industrialists remain scared.

“Businessmen disturbed through agencies are scared. Every time if you disturb businessman through the agencies, how the business will go up? They are always afraid and scared. No one knows in the morning what will rise? Nobody knows when the agencies will rise? Let the industrialists feel free. It is their duty to take care of their businesses. It is not the duty of the government to interfere in every business. We want freedom for industrialists also,” the Chief Minister added.

She also criticised the Union government for collecting GST and not returning the state’s share.

“Even shop owners… they have to give GST. Now states, they don’t have own tax. Now we have only one tax in the country. Earlier we thought it would be good for the country. It was Amit Mitra (former West Bengal Finance Minister) who had advised me to support it. Now you have to clarify it to me why the Centre is cutting all the money from GST also. From GST, 20,000 crore has been cut off from my state. It was for development, for economic sustainability, for the accountability and credibility. Now you tell me where is the pain and where is the gain?” CM Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister also criticised a section of people for criticising the state, asserting that attempts to defame West Bengal will fail.

“Some people want to defame Bengal, but they don’t know how much the state has changed. Bengal is today one of the leading logistics hubs and serves as the gateway to South East Asia, East India, and the North Eastern states. It is surrounded by border states like Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha,” CM Banerjee said.

She emphasised that West Bengal is a peaceful state and any negative narratives circulated on the social media are fake and aimed at tarnishing its image.

“Some fake news comes from so-called social media, which posts videos or spreads misinformation to defame Bengal. But I challenge anyone, they cannot harm Bengal,” she said.

–IANS

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