Hopeful that Abhijit Banerjee will give suggestions on Indian economy: WB BJP chief

Kolkata, Oct 21: West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said he was hopeful that Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, who has drawn criticism from a section of saffron party leaders, will give valuable suggestions for overcoming the economic crisis.

Distancing himself from the unpleasant remarks made against Banerjee by some BJP leaders, Ghosh said people may have divergent views about the acclaimed economist.

"He is a big personality and has made a huge achievement; many people are expressing their views, they are all entitled to their opinion," he said.

Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, at a media briefing in Pune, recently described Banerjee as a "Left- leaning" person.

Goyal on Friday also said Banerjee's suggestion of a minimum income scheme has been rejected by Indian voters and there was no need to "accept what he thinks".

Echoing similar sentiments, Rahul Sinha, a national secretary of the BJP, also claimed that Banerjee's economic theories have not been proved on the ground in India.

Ghosh, also a Lok Sabha MP from Medinipur, asserted that that he was among the first to congratulate the Indian- born American economist after the announcement.

"I am sure he will give good suggestions for overcoming the economic crisis that the country as well as the entire world is going through," Ghosh said.

Leading a 'Gandhi Sankalp Yatra' at Kamarhati on the northern outskirts of the city, in which central minister Nityanand Rai also participated, Ghosh said apart from a social message, the saffron party is also "giving a call for a change" in the state through this programme.

The yatra, which was launched in the state on October 16, is scheduled to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies over a period of 10 days.

"People want a change in the state as they are unhappy with the Trinamool Congress rule, which has led to an atmosphere of political violence and social upheaval. This is evident from the response that our programme has been getting throughout the state," he said.