Bengal will lead India from Delhi: Mamata Banerjee

Visualising a larger role for the Trinamool Congress in government formation after the 2014 general elections, party supremo Mamata Banerjee today expressed confidence that her party would be a key player.

"Bengal will lead India from Delhi," Banerjee told a meet of captains of industry here, a party MP who was present quoted her as saying.

"If Bengal is running Bengal today then Bengal can run India tomorrow," Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister told the meet which was offlimits to the media.

Emphasizing the importance of regional parties in national politics, she said "Regional parties understand better regional and national aspirations. They understand the needs of the people."

Banerjee who parted ways with the Congress last September by withdrawing support to the UPA government on FDI in retail said that most national parties "are self-centred like the Congress."

Naming the Congress, but not the BJP, she said "they bulldoze and try to get their way."

On the issue of land raised by the audience, Banerjee asked them to take a look at the new land allotment policy that proposed to auction government land for industry and give the state a more proactive role in the process.

She reiterated that there would be no forcible acquisition of land.

Party MP Derek O'Brian said the chief minister urged industrialists to invest in new areas like education, health, tourism, transport and infrastructure.

"The CM had a candid interaction with the audience on every issue," Derek said.

Among the industrialists present were Vijay Mallya, Kumarmangalam Birla, Karan Paul of Apeejay, Sanjiv Goenka and Harsh Neotia as also Bollywood personalities like Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor.

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