Bengal has to reform or perish, says Buddha in Singapore hardsell

‘‘We are not fools,’’ Bhattacharjee said, as he explained the radical changes in the Left Front’s world view in a lecture organised by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Institute of South Asian Studies.

While his government will continue to ‘‘serve the poor’’, Bhattacharjee said the Left in Bengal recognises that ‘‘globalisation is a must’’ and ‘‘no one can hold it back’’.

The Left in Bengal, Bhattacharjee said, is trying to learn from its own mistakes as well as those of the Soviet Union. It is also learning from the rapid economic transformation of China in recent years. But he said there can be one role model for Indian economic reforms.

In a bid to remove the misperceptions about Left opposition to economic reforms, Bhattacharjee clarified that in Kolkata, at least, there are ‘‘no more dogmas’’. ‘‘What we have learnt,’’ he said quoting from Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, is to ‘‘seek truth from facts’’ and not from a presumed doctrine.

While the CPI(M) central leadership might have reservations about FDI flows, Bhattacharjee said he was ‘‘quite clear’’ about the importance of attracting private and foreign investments into West Bengal.

He hoped that Singapore businessmen would invest in the development of a variety of sectors in West Bengal, including infrastructure and the creation of special economic zones. He said no limits would be placed on the quantum of FDI in any project.

The prospective deal with the Indonesian Salem Group to create a world class township in 5000 acres in the South 24 Paraganas district has become emblematic of Bhattacharjee’s trip to South East Asia.

Sources in his delegation are placing special emphasis on Bhattacharjee’s private luncheon meeting today with Mrs Ho Ching, who heads the highly influential Temasek Holdings in Singapore. Ho also happens to be the wife of Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong. If Temasek takes a strategic decision, the 40-odd companies it controls could soon be heading to Kolkata.