Man with modern outlook, Buddhababu was keen on IT: Ex-CS Manish Gupta
The Statesman | 9 August 2024
Buddhababu had a modern outlook and took strong initiatives for bringing in IT industries to West Bengal, reminisced Manish Gupta, former Trinamul Congress MP from Rajya Sabha.
Mr Gupta was chief secretary of the state from 1997 and 2001, with Jyoti Basu as chief minister and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as his deputy.
“Buddhababu had a modern outlook and had taken positive steps for setting up of IT industries in West Bengal despite differences in his party and cabinet. His predecessor Jyoti Basu, during his regime as CM had framed some policies on IT. But it was for Buddhababu, who played an important role to bring IT industries to the state. He had complete support for IT industries,” said Mr Gupta, who also served as power minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, told The Statesman.
After retirement Mr Gupta nominated by Trinamul Congress had contested against Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Jadavpur Assembly constituency, once a stronghold of CPM-led Left Front, in 2011 and defeated the latter. It was his second defeat in Assembly polls after 1982, when he was defeated for the first time in his political career.
He was five-time CPM MLA from Jadavpur since 1987, in a row, but people’s mandates had gone against him in Jadavpur Assembly constituency in 2011 elections.
“He had introduced two important departments like women and child welfare and IT as chief minister. We did not meet each other during election campaigns in Jadavpur in 2011. I didn’t even meet him frequently as a chief secretary because he used to head the state information & cultural affairs department,” Mr Gupta added.
When asked, who was the best chief minister he had worked with as a bureaucrat, Mr Gupta said, “I won’t differentiate in terms of their performances because I worked with four chief ministers.”