New Delhi: In the ongoing showdown in West Bengal between the state government and the Opposition over the proposed Tata car plant in Singur, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has for the first time expressed his helplessness, saying he cannot tell Ratan Tata to go back after persuading him to set up the small car plant in his state.
"I cannot tell Ratan Tata to go back", the Chief Minister told the annual general meeting of Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata on Tuesday. "We must go ahead," he said.
Bhattacharjee's helplessness is understandable, given the fact that it was he who took the initiative to invite the Tatas to set up their small car plant in the state. Tata Motors had initially decided to set up the plant in Uttaranchal. It was after much persuasion that the Tatas later decided to visit four or five sites in West Bengal, after which Singur was finally selected.
It is another thing that the project has run into rough weather after the Singur plot was identified to be given to the Tatas.
The opponents of the project say the state government was giving away fertile lands of poor farmers for the industrial plant, offering little or no benefits to the farmers. While Bhattacharjee has time and again offered to reconsider the land deal, the opposition camp has remained steadfast on its demand.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been on a hunger strike for the 23rd day on Tuesday, demanding re-location of the plant from Singur's multi-crop land to any other area in the state, which was not so fertile.
On Tuesday, Bhattacharjee in fact described the Opposition stand as an irresponsible behaviour. "How can a state government function with an irresponsible Opposition?" he asked.
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