Dumurjala, West Bengal: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said West Bengal was "lagging behind" in development due to the policies of the state's ruling Left Front.
Addressing a rally in Dumurjala in Howrah, on the outskirts of the city, the prime minister said: "West Bengal lags behind because of the Left's policies."
He also said the time for change had come. "Paschim Bangal mein badlaav ka samay aa gaya hai. Industrialisation zaroori hai. (The time has come for a change in West Bengal. Industrialisation is necessary)," he said, but added that such development should not come up on fertile land.
The Prime Minister also said the violence in Singur and Nandigram "should not be repeated".
He was referring to Tata Motors being forced to shift its Nano plant from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in Gujarat following sustained protests by anti-land acquisition groups in this state. The state government was also forced to shift the Nandigram SEZ project after massive protests over procuring fertile land for setting up a hub of chemical industries.
Singh also charged the Communists with helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections by dividing the secular votes.
"Their stand on a lot of issues have not kept pace with time... I advise them to change their thoughts to remain on par with the needs of the time."
The Prime Minister regretted that the Left voted along with the BJP against the trust motion in parliament last year.
"In a way they are helping the BJP in these elections by dividing the secular votes," Manmohan Singh said.
He also said the Third Front, led by the Left parties, had no chance of coming to power. "The Third Front parties do not have any programme. They don't have any long term vision for the country's development. Their single point programme is to thoughtlessly oppose every work done by the Congress."
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