New Delhi, August 25: While eminent writer-activist Mahashweta Devi praised Gujarat for strides made in development at the grassroots level, she criticised the West Bengal government saying that 30 years of Left rule has achieved "very little" in that state.

"I have been to Gujarat many times, especially during the 2002 communal killings. West Bengal had condemned Gujarat and perhaps this protest was justified. In West Bengal, Hindus and Muslims have learnt to live in harmony," she said while addressing the DS Borker Memorial Lecture series on 'My Vision of India: 2047 AD' here on Friday night.

"But I was deeply impressed to see the strong work culture in Gujarat. The city and village roads are well-built, even the remotest villages have electricity and access to drinking water. I was especially impressed with the medical facilities in the panchayats and local-level health centres. Not at all like West Bengal where, even now, villages and panchayat areas have hardly any electricity. The government's so-called 'swasthya pariseva' (healthcare service) is totally non-existent," she said.

"In West Bengal, which has been under a CPI(M)-led Left government for last 30 years, very little has been achieved," she said, alleging that starvation deaths and high child mortality are "rampant" in the state.