'Our first task is to remove 'kachhra' and begin process of reconstruction': West Bengal cabinet minister Swapan Dasgupta

NEW DELHI: Newly sworn-in West Bengal cabinet minister Swapan Dasgupta on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleging that the party had left the state in a "completely devastated" condition. He said the immediate priority of the newly formed BJP-led government was to remove the "kachhra" (garbage) left behind by the previous administration and begin the process of rebuilding the state.Speaking after taking oath as a minister, Dasgupta said the administration's priorities would focus on education, industry, infrastructure and restoring law and order.“TMC has left Bengal a completely devastated area. Our first task is to remove the 'kachhra' and begin the process of reconstruction and planning. The priorities have been set out in education, the industrial sphere, setting up infra and getting law and order back,” he said.Dasgupta also highlighted the challenge of restoring investor confidence and improving governance, alleging that several areas of public life had been badly corrupted during the TMC's tenure in the state. “We also have to get back the confidence of the entire investor community. It is going to be a big challenge trying to get a degree of honesty back into the system because there are so many areas of public life which have been badly corrupted,” he added.On the possibility of opposition leaders joining the BJP, Dasgupta said the party had decided against inducting TMC members for the foreseeable future.“We have a policy in the BJP in Bengal that we will not take any person from the TMC for the foreseeable future,” he said.Responding to questions about the alleged forgery of MLA signatures in the West Bengal Assembly, which is being investigated by a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CID, Dasgupta said the matter should be handled through established procedures.“It is for the Speaker to ascertain whether there was forgery of signatures committed. Let the law take its own course,” he said.West Bengal expanded its cabinet on Monday with 35 new ministers taking oath at Lok Bhawan in Kolkata. Governor RN Ravi administered the oath, taking the strength of the Council of Ministers to 41 under chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.