To please party, CM puts on his anti-US hat

“When I met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 17, I asked why was he desperately wooing the US, which has never done any good to any country. I told him that ‘between you and us stands the US, which is threatening our national sovereignty’,” Bhattacharjee said.

America, he said, had destroyed Iraq and now was targeting Iran. “In Iraq, the British Army is leaving and Bush is looking for ways to get out of the country. Then, there is this joint naval exercise involving India, Japan, Singapore, Australia and the USA. What is it targeted at? Who is our enemy? We would like to know,” the Chief Minister thundered, amid rapturous applause from the audience.

Regarding the proposed site for the chemical hub at Nayachar near Haldia, the CM said scientists were being consulted. “Concerns have been raised about the prospect of pollution by the chemical hub. People are saying it will pollute the sea and harm marine life. But we are not fools. I must assure you that we are consulting the best of scientists in the country and if we are told that it has the possibility of harming atmosphere and the sea, we will not take a step ahead,” Bhattacharjee said.