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Bhattacharjee to take over
as CM on Monday

''There cannot be any alternative to Basu. We don't have any leader who can replace him. Therefore all Front partners should work collectively to fill the void,'' Bhattacharjee told his party's mouthpiece Ganakshakti .

Emphasising the need for bringing greater speed in government work, he said as chief minister his aim would be to make the government more responsive and take it closer to the people.

Bhattacharjee referred to the limitations of the state government and said it would be very difficult for it to solve fundamental problems because of faulty and anti-people policies of the central government.

''In such a situation what we can do is to take an alternative approach through a long-term programme, he said in the interview published in Sunday's edition.

Bhattacharjee, who takes over as chief minister Monday, attributed the growing limitation of the state government to the central government's policy of indiscriminate liberalisation and said the Centre was up to destroying the public sector.

''It appears from the Centre's policies that they don't have any headache for poverty eradication. In an underdeveloped country there is a great need for public sector units and subsidy. But the Centre is bent on destroying this facility,'' he pointed out.

The 56-year-old leader rejected outright the contention that the state needed a change after over 23 years of Left rule and said change could never mean reversal of policies such as land reforms and free education.

''If some party wants to change these pro-poor policies, the people will revolt. We have seen frequent change of government in other states because of failure in adapting programmes,'' he observed.

Bhattacharjee, who is going to be the seventh chief minister of the state, said the political parties which were being projected as an alternative did not have any ideology for a socio-economic programme. ''These forces are trying to equate Gandhi with Godse. They have compromised with fundamental and communal forces,'' he remarked, without naming any party.

Having failed to adapt people-people policies, these forces had been depending on gimmicks and violence. ''Unfortunately, these forces are being backed by a section of media and some foreign power,'' he pointed out.

Bhattacharjee felt that unemployment had reached frightening levels in the country and West Bengal was also affected by it. ''In the villages, through land reforms and improvement in the agricultural sector, we have given work to a large section of rural youth. Much is still to be done. The condition in the city is far more pathetic.'' He added that the government was giving utmost importance to solve this problem and boost industrialisation at the same time promote cottage and small industries.

''But unemployment is a national problem and more than 30 million people are registered unemployed. If we take the number of unregistered youth who are unemployed, the number will thrice exceed the registered figure. Therefore the central government should take pro-people policies to boost employment.

Bhattacharjee said the prime task of his government would be to provide succour to flood victims.

On whether the cultural side of West Bengal was on the wane, Bhattacharjee, nephew of revolutionary poet Sukanta Bhattacharjee, said, ''We are in a twilight zone. A cultural darkness is descending on us thanks to liberalisation and media invasion. We are caught in a web.''

A writer, dramatist and ardent lover of quality cinema, Bhattacharjee said, ''but I am happy that the fight is on to stop this onslaught. Our group theatres, folk songs, mass songs, Rabindrasangeet and Nazrulgeeti along with our Neo-Bengla films still inspire people and even the youth are taking a fancy. This is a positive sign.''

UNI

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