West Bengal battling defamation for political reasons, says CM Mamata Banerjee

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (December 19, 2025) tried to impress upon West Bengal as an investment destination, adding that the State has been battling defamation due to political purposes.

“Those who are defaming Bengal only for political purposes, don’t you think it is a matter of pride for all of us? Instead of always being negative, think positive,” Ms. Banerjee said at a business conclave in Kolkata’s Dhana Dhanya auditorium.

The Chief Minister said that, amidst defamation, it has become a personal challenge for her to prove that West Bengal would one day lead the world.

“After becoming the Chief Minister, I went to Singapore, where I heard rumours about Bengal’s downfall and lost glory. From that day, it became a personal challenge for me to prove that Bengal would one day lead the world. I thank and respect the leaders of industry for their commitment and for taking part in this endeavour,” she said.

Ms. Banerjee also added that Bengal is a peaceful State but fake news is being circulated on social media to malign the State. Trying to hard-sell the State as an investment destination, the Chief Minister said that about 2,800 companies and 2 lakh professionals are working in the IT sector in West Bengal, and Bengal’s Silicon Valley is attracting an investment of ₹35,000 crore, which will create over 1 lakh jobs.

“We are also becoming a semiconductor hub. Even the United States and the United Kingdom have shown interest. We have already given ONGC the necessary permissions to set up their establishment in Ashoknagar,” she said. The Chief Minister said that the State government is number one in the MSME sector with 93 lakh units, with 660 MSME clusters that employ more than 1.30 crore people.

During her speech, the Chief Minister spoke about the Deocha Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum, logistics hubs coming up in the State, and West Bengal emerging as the second largest tourist destination.

She also spoke of JSW Energy announcing a 1600 MW power plant in Bengal and the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group having plans to expand its battery storage business in Bengal, for which the State government has suggested 350 acres of available land in Uttarpara.

Ms. Banerjee also spoke about the State government’s initiative to set up temples in West Bengal. ”We will lay the foundation stone for Durga Angan on 29 December at 4 p.m.. It will be developed on a grand scale, similar to the Jagannath Dham. For the Mahakal temple in Siliguri as well, land has been identified, and a trust has been set up. What do people ultimately want to see? Unity, peace, and happiness,” she said.

The Chief Minister said her government will host the Bengal Global Business Summit after the Assembly elections in 2026. During the last Bengal Global Business Summit in February 2025, the Chief Minister had stated that over the last seven BGBS editions, investments worth ₹19 lakh crore have been made, out of which work for ₹13 lakh crore has rolled out on the ground.

Prominent industrialists of West Bengal — ITC Ltd Chairman Sanjiv Puri, Chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group Sanjiv Goenka, JSW Energy Joint MD and CEO Sharad Mahendra, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group Harshavardhan Neotia and MD and group CEO of Tega Industries Mehul Mohanka — were present at the business summit. They lauded the efforts of the Chief Minister to make West Bengal a favourable industrial destination.

A day ago, on Wednesday (December 18, 2025), the State unit of BJP has published a document titled “West Bengal Industrial Graveyard”, claiming that 14 years of Mamata Banerjee’s government has turned the State from India’s industrial powerhouse into a “graveyard of failed policies, destroyed industries, and crushing debt”.