Will write to Bengal CM about jute industry crisis: BJP MP Arjun Singh

Those who had switched over to the BJP now realise that the saffron party was never bothered about the well-being of the state, TMC MP and national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said.

Days after he slammed the Centre for "neglecting" Bengal's jute industry, senior BJP leader and MP Arjun Singh Thursday said he would urge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take up the matter with the Union government.

''I will be writing to chief ministers of four states – West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Assam, requesting them to flag the issue of capping raw jute prices. The entire jute industry is suffering because of it," he said.

He had on Monday threatened to hit the streets if the issue was not resolved at the earliest.

Singh had also supported Banerjee's demand to remove the price cap on raw jute in the open market, as the current market-driven prices favour farmers.

The sector regulator had capped the price of raw jute for mills at Rs 6,500 per quintal when the market price was over Rs 7,000.

This became a contentious issue as mills that consume the maximum amount of the golden fibre for manufacturing sacks meant for food-grain packaging could not procure the raw material at the officially set price.

Singh, however, ducked queries about rejoining his former party, the Trinamool Congress. ''You have asked a million-dollar question, and only time can answer it… I have only raised an issue concerning the people,'' he said.

The ruling TMC welcomed Singh's remarks, and said it reflects how the BJP government at the Centre is apathetic towards the state's problems.

''Whatever Arjun Singh has said is right. Those who had switched over to the BJP now realise that the saffron party was never bothered about the well-being of the state,'' TMC MP and national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said.