Mamata Banerjee expresses condolence to the kin of VG Siddhartha

Kolkata, July 31: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday described the death of CCD owner V G Siddhartha as "very unfortunate".

She said that the coffee baron was depressed due of "harassment from different agencies", failed to run his business and finally gave up.

She likened the incident to businessmen contemplating to leave the country in the face of huge pressure at a time when oppositon political parties were afraid of horse trading and harassment for political vendetta.

"I am deeply shocked by the incident relating to V G Siddhartha, Coffee Cafe Day founder. It is indeed very sad and very unfortunate.

"From what he has expressed (in his letter), it appears that he was greatly depressed due to harassment and pressure from different agencies for which he could not run his business in a peaceful manner," Banerjee wrote on her Facebook wall Wednesday.

"I hear from different sources that captains of industry in the country are under pressure; some of them have left the country and some are contemplating to move out. All the opposition political parties are afraid of horse trading and harassment with political vendetta," Banerjee stated extending her condolences to Siddhartha's family members.

The Trinamool Congress supremo said at a time when the economic growth of the country has nosedived to the lowest in the first quarter of the 2018-19 and unemployment has reached the highest level, the Centre is mulling options to disinvest government assets.

"The overall economy is in bad shape with the common people suffering the most. Industry and agriculture and creation of employment is the future of our country. If industry is demoralised, then there will be no economic and employment growth. As a result, more and more people will become jobless," she added.

The West Bengal Chief Minister appealed the Centre to work "in a peaceful manner" to help the people live in confidence and "political vendetta and agencies do not destroy the future of the country".

"My appeal to the government is that when you have been elected, you have to work in a peaceful manner so that people are confident and that political vendetta and agencies do not destroy the future of the country," Banerjee wrote.

The Centre is attempting to disinvest government assets "From Ordnance Factory Board to BSNL, from Air India to Railways, from Chittaranjan Locomotive Works to Alloy Steel Plant in Durgapur and about 45 more public sector undertakings," she said.

The body of Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha, who went missing, was found on Wednesday in the Netravati river in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka after 36 hours of intense search, officials said.