Tata gone, West Bengal wonders who to blame

WAY OF BENGAL: Panelists debate what Tata pullout would mean for Brand Bengal.

                

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As Tata pulls out of Singur, is it a disaster for Bengal and who is to blame? Karan Thapar debated these pertinent issues on War of Words with CPI-M leader Niloptpal Basu, TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi, Chairman of Bajaj industries Rahul Bajaj and Chairman of RPG enterprises Sanjeev Goenka.

The Tata pullout is being seen as a devastating blow the state. However, Basu said while it was unfortunate that Tata had pulled put, it was overstating the situation to say that the development was devastating. "The circumstances have created an environment of awareness among people. Investors have shown confidence and there are other projects," he said.

But FICCI fears out of the nearly 200,000 crore earmarked for Bengal's industrialisation, nearly 50 per cent could be hit because of Tata pullout. But Basu said Tata pullout was an aberration.

TMC too does not want to take the blame or the responsibility. Dinesh Trivedi quoted Gandhi's principle of non-violence and said that was his party's motto. Trivedi flashed a DVD and said it had footage of the "violent means" by which farmer land was acquired. "They have killed a lady alive. Is this how you ensure industrialisation. If the audience sees this DVD, they will know what it is," he said.

But caught in the crossfire between the politicians is the 80-million strong public of Bengal which could have been deprived of jobs. Sanjeev Goenka quelled some myths and said while Tatas pulling out of Singur was sad, there was hope. "The fundamentals of Bengal as industrial investment option continue to be what they were - good. No investment decision can be made on the basis of someone else investing or not investing," he said.

But some would say it's more of an investment disincentive considering industry follows suit by example. And Tatas'is not a good one. "I can speak for my company," he said, adding, "The Rs 12.5-cr investment plan will go ahead," he assured.

Rahul Bajaj agreed and said while the industry had to look at its interest, it was also its responsibility to look at the greater good of the country, of the industry and of the farmers. "Unfortunately we have vote-bank politics all over the place. I believe while Tata leaving was unfortunate, this doesn't go against Bengal as a state," he said, adding the present state government under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee looked very positive towards industry.

At the core of this problem lies the problem of land acquisition. The critcis of the CPI-M say the party went about land allocation and acquisition without the consent of farmers, without worrying about the product. Some even say the party almost bullied Tatas into going to Singur when they could have gone anywhere in the state. But Basu said the picture was just the opposite. "Tatas decided at the last minute and in the current neo-liberal circumstances, industry decides the conditions for investment. The state has very little role to play in it," he said.

Basu said if it was forced, Tatas should have gone elsewhere.