A tripartite meeting will be held on May 9th with representatives from the Centre, the Government of West Bengal and jute mills including the Indian Jute Mill Association
A tripartite meeting will be held on May 9th with representatives from the Centre, the Government of West Bengal and jute mills including the Indian Jute Mill Association
Arjun Singh, BJP vice-president in West Bengal and a Barrackpore MP who has highlighted the crisis in the state’s jute industry, said Monday he would not be swayed by lollipops over a solution to the impasse in the labor-intensive sector.
“Until there’s a final decision, I can’t let lollipops influence me. As long as there is no final decision, we cannot feel happy. It’s because I’ve been associated with grassroots politics,” he told reporters in Delhi.
Mr Singh, who met the union’s textile secretary in Delhi, said he would not hold a protest until May 9.
A tripartite meeting is scheduled to take place on May 9 with representatives from the centre, state government and jute mills including the Indian Jute Mill Association (IJMA).
“Met the secretary of @TexMinIndia today. The meeting was very warm and positive. He promised to resolve the issues I raised about the jute sector. A tripartite meeting of the ministry, West Bengal government @egiye_bangla and IJMA will be held on May 9,” Mr Singh tweeted.
Sources in the BJP said party President JP Nadda had contacted Mr Singh, who had been in the state capital for the past few days.
Before meeting the Textile Minister, Mr Singh met farmers, workers and industry with Textile Minister Piyush Goyal on April 30. Meeting was very positive. I hope the issues will be resolved soon,” he tweeted.
lack of raw materials
The crisis of the jute mills in West Bengal concerns the scarcity of raw materials and the ceiling for raw jute, which is ₹6,500 per quintal. In the last six months, the supply crisis has forced the closure of about 12 jute mills and put 60,000 workers out of work.
Another issue the BJP leadership is concerned about is Mr Singh trying to reach Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and allegedly trying to nudge the leadership of the Trinamool Congress. Last week he sought her intervention in the ongoing situation. With a number of BJP leaders switching sides after the 2021 assembly elections and aligning themselves with the Trinamool Congress, the BJP’s central leadership is taking no chances in trying to placate the Barrackpore MP.