Buniayadpur (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday highlighted the dignity of labour and said that her own requirements were minimal.
"Not everything is rated in terms of money. Respect the dignity of labour. No labour is negligible or avoidable," Banerjee told a rally in this South Dinajpur district town.
"No work is small or negligible. There is no alternative to hard labour," Banerjee said recalling that she once worked at a milk depot in Kolkata at Rs 40 a month to pay for her studies.
Urging people to be honest, she said, "I have minimum needs. I have one room beside the room of my late mother. When I sleep, I think how fortunate I am that I have a shelter. At the same time, I feel sad to think that innumerable people spend nights without a roof."
The chief minister, who earlier laid the foundation of a rail wagon factory here, announced a slew of development projects for the district.
Banerjee, a former railway minister, said that the Balurghat Express would now be called 'tebhaga Express' to commemorate the historic Tebhaga movement.
PTI
First Published: Friday, August 31, 2012, 21:59