The aftermath of the Singur fiasco

Like everyone, I was keenly following the developments (destructions??) on the Tata Nano project at Singur, West Bengal over a period of past several months.

Buoyed with their success (!!) at Nandigram violence and the Panchayat election following the same, the opposition party (whose strategies replicate those of the ruling coalition's forty year old tactics) at West Bengal were hell bent to devastate any constructive effort. They succeeded to drive away the Tata Nano even before it was launched!!

Sadly, the fortunes of the state so eagerly moving towards an industrial resurrection have been stymied in the process. Possible repercussions that might follow are:

1. West Bengal's image has been blemished - whosoever contemplating to invest in the state would do a rethink. When the Tata's (arguably the most socially responsible company in India) have been thwarted, who would dare to put on the same shoes!! The State Government may point to MoUs worth millions of rupees, but they are just that - MoUs. The companies are not legally bound to set up the projects.
2. I have visited at least 5 states witnessing an industrial boom in India and have seen how the flourishing industries open a floodgate of opportunities to people belonging to every strata of the society. Bengal has lost the chance once again!
3. The rollback of the Tata Motors from the state will have an effect on the existing industries as well. Any expansion plan will be put under the scanner. The Information Technology industry is going to get hit most definitely - no new companies would seriously consider Kolkata as plausible destination. More importantly, tit-a-tit with seasoned software professionals from Bengal revealed a reluctance among them to return to their home city, unless constrained by some compulsion.
4. Unlike the relatively bigger states, West Bengal has a very high percentage of its land under cultivation - unless ALL concerned stakeholders arrive at a consensus on land acquisition to facilitate setting up of industries, trouble can brew again. Most industrialists will not be keen to move to far off places (from Kolkata) having limited connectivity to set up their plants. To tackle this issue requires developing infrastructure and profound foresight from the administrators (read, the goodwill of politicians). Does West Bengal have such administrators? It pains me so much to raise this question - it was once told by Gopal Krishna Gokhale about this very state that "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow".
5. Lastly, I am sure every person in the state would vouch for a more responsible opposition (applies to every democracy the world over) - an opposition which would fight for a cause at the very onset and would not wait for two years after its commencement (Land acquisition for the Nano project started in July 2006) to launch an overzealous attack.

The biggest farce in the largest democracy of the world is that the wishes of the people are rarely fulfilled; instead whims of a few (irresponsible) leaders rule the roost. The proponents of the constitution of this sovereign socialist secular democratic republic would have fainted to see the present manifestation of their hard work!!