Congress and Left Front workers began a “long march” from Chittaranjan to Kolkata today demanding generation of jobs and setting up of industries. The participants will also raise the issue of religious polarisation in the state against the Trinamul Congress and BJP. While the BJP-run Union government is passing antilabour measures by going for large scale privatisation in pursuit of a directionless industrial policy, theTrinamul- run state government remains a silent spectator, PCC chief Somen Mitra said.

Religion is being used by both dispensations at the Centre and the state to distract the people from their problems, he felt. The “long march’ which is scheduled to end on 11 December will focus on the low rate of industrial growth in the state, former PCC chief and Rajya Sabha member Pradip Bhattacharya said. No new industries are being set up in this state, while the owners of the existing ones are chary about the future of their firms, he said. Long before coming to power, the Trinamul Congress had created an antiindustry image for itself, Bhattacharya said.

The state which once led the country in industrial growth and number of industrial units have slid down to insignificance, he felt. The Trinamul Congress govenment has organised several conclaves of industrialisats with great fanfare, the Rajya Sabha member said. Not much investment have materialised from these meetings till date, he said. The “long march” is expected to play an important role in cementing the cooperation among grassroot workers of the Left and Congress. Though the activists of both the parties were disappointed by the defeats in the three by-elections recently, they will chin up after the rally, a senior leader said.

The rally will also help us to reach out to the people, state INTUC president, Kamarujaman Kamar said. The people’s discontent is high at the failure of Trinamul regime to generate jobs and bring in investments, he felt. Our joint rally with the CITU and other mass organisations of the Left will give them courage to protest, the state INTUC chief said. We hope to turn around in the 2021 elections as we will organise more joint programmes after this 12-day rally, he added.