At present, it accounts for the third highest number of rapes among all States in India, losing its number one position last year. It has been 'leading' the country with the largest number of unresolved criminal cases and the lowest number of convictions, for several years now. Its financial debt to the centre, currently approaching Rs 240,000 crore is the highest, as also in the number of leprosy cases.

During the TMC rule, the state has dropped from its second position in the country in attracting industrial investments, to 18th! Another new 'record ' of ignominy is that this year up to May, even Assam, a special category NE state that struggles with very serious problems of poor infrastructure, law and order and work culture, has received more proposals for new industries than West Bengal.

'This is some 'poriborton' indeed', comments a left-wing daily in its editorial, in an obvious reference to the rousing slogan for political change raised by the TMC prior to the 2011 State assembly polls.

The question arises, how is the State Government dealing with this apparently comprehensive decline in all parameters of administrative performance?

The answer is , state Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee behaves as before, like the proverbial ostrich with its face buried in the sand , as controversy rages around the wretched role played by her government in addressing all major issues of the day. 'Her strategy is three-fold : retreat into a perpetual denial mode whenever any scandal occurs in her administration or within the party, or any problem arises with the judiciary, the Election Commission or the HR bodies. Second, she adopts her blustering 'blame others' mode by accusing the centre and the media of short changing her on all issues embarrassing her. Three, she ruthlessly suppresses all opposition by using strong arm police methods,' says a political analyst.

Until recently, she used to claim that her government had created 'lakhs of new jobs' in the private and public sector. And the ruling TMC, which was the only alternative to both the Congress and the BJP, had fulfilled' 90/95% of its pre-election programmes' in Bengal , a claim she began making as early as the third month after taking over in May, 2011. Later, considering her job in Bengal 'done', she set her sights on 'conquering Delhi' during the 2014 LS polls.

There was only one problem: neither the Chief Minister, nor her Ministerial colleagues, nor state government officials, could ever provide a single detailed breakdown of where and how these so-described 'lakhs of jobs' had materialised, despite repeated questions. Astonishingly, State Government ads in a select few papers used to peddle such palpably false claims against the following backdrop:

In 2012, only 12 small industries came up, with an investment of Rs 312 crore, an all time low. In 2014 (till May) the state stands 18th in India, with only 18 industries with an investment of Rs 596 crore lined up, whereas Assam has attracted an investment of more than Rs 1000 crore ! Contrast this with May 2011, when the Left Front was in power. The state stood second in terms of attracting new investments only after Orissa, with projects accounting for Rs 3,02,515 crore in the offing !

At present, let alone attracting new investments, the state is witnessing an unravelling of its existing industrial production base. Major units like Jessop, Dunlop, Hind Motors and Duckback are closed. Haldia Petrochemicals has stopped production. The Haldia port has been running at a loss ever since the ABG group pulled out of loading/unloading operations, forced out by TMC sponsored hooligans. Several jute mills have put down their shutters, with TMC goons brutally killing the CEO of Northbrooke in a shocking incident. Labour militancy has led to the closure of the Burn Standard factory.

'Many thousands of workers are without jobs and more are being thrown out daily. What we are seeing is not just a TMC-sponsored hooliganism driving out industries, a big factor behind most closures. It is a virtual de-industrialisation of West Bengal. The State government and its Labour department do not seem to exist The police and the state administration take no action as local TMC goons threaten CEOs of industries like Mr. R. C. Chakravarty of the Shyam SEL company at Asansol recently. The company is considering a shift out of the state. The Chief Minister says these are small matters and there is no one to punish the scores of TMC extortionists who blackmail industries and terrorise the real estate sector,' says a CITU leader. 'They have not been able to reopen single major unit that has been closed down.'

No wonder, reports of starvation in the north Bengal tea belt, at least 40 in recent months and among jute mill workers have become common. Following loads of negative publicity, for which TMC leaders blamed the 'hostile, conspiring media', Ministers finally visited some plantations and saw a horror story among tribal workers only days ago. They have done nothing to help jobless jute or engineering workers so far, just as they have done nothing for poorer farmers of whom at least 80 have committed suicide during the TMC rule. 'It seems the law of the jungle, with only the strongest and the fittest surviving, prevails in Bengal,' says an INTUC leader.

Particularly disappointing has been the performance of Mr Amit Mitra as the Minister for Industries. With all his connections with FICCI members, central Ministers, planners, economists or policy makers, he has not succeeded in attracting any new investment. (IPA Service)