I have immense respect for the ever-young Mr. Ratan Tata. Of course, he does not require anyone's endorsement - his achievements speak for himself.
But it was a cruel surprise to see this gentleman spew out his pent up feelings, with respect to his decision to pullout from Singur, in several leading newspapers in the state, headlined Open Letter to the Citizens of West Bengal. Mr. Tata talked straight, fearing none (he doesn't have to, anyway - India can do away with a Banerjee, a Singh or a Yadav but certainly not without the Tata - question is when does the Banerjee/Singh/Yadav realise this simple truth!!) leading to a lot of political stir-up and counter statements from both the opposition party and the ruling coalition in the state.
Not that he could not have anticipated the sharp criticisms his political talking (usually evaded by businessmen) would invite. But his retaliation shows his genuine concern for the young generation of the state and that a waste of Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15,000 million, USD 340 million @ INR 45 for 1 USD) hurts even the Tatas. No one in West Bengal (barring the handful of ‘agitators’) was even a bit amused to see the project being taken out from Singur to Sanand in Gujrat. This project has aroused interest the world over, bringing the state under the radar of the international business community, and has infused enthusiasm among the young people of the state (not to mention, among their parents as well). West Bengal has been under industrial starvation/deprivation for quite long - thanks to the policies of the Communist coalition of the state - and now it seems even if they try to change their old habits, the opposition would not let them do so. The Nano project was like a ray of light and fresh air after traveling through a long, dark, suffocating tunnel for more than 30 years. Alas! The opposition has ensured a landslide to block the entry of light and fresh air again - no one knows for how long!!
I agree with whatever Mr. Ratan Tata has said in the release and understand the pertinence of the questions he has asked to the people of the state.
But then, was it really necessary to get into a war of words with a half-insane, selfish outfit (no rewards for guessing the name) concerned only about ousting the Government but having no REAL agenda or economic outlook of their own, always shouting "cholbe na", "cholbe na" without proposing any pragmatic, viable alternative !!
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About the last paragraph… yes it was necessary. It was necessary to let the people of India and the world know that Tatas did not take it lightly. It was necessary to express the anger of losing USD 350 mn. After all USD 350 mn is the public money and Tata is concerned about it. It was necessary to express the anger of delaying the planned project which actually affected the Nano project drastically as the raw materials other overheads costs shot up preventing Tatas releasing the car with Rs. 1 Lakh (A dream project for Tatas). Ratan Tata is a business man and it is necessary to raise the finger when things go wrong to the business. The world now knows about WB and that half-insane lady; Let the people of WB decide what they want to do now.
Thanks.
~ SG
SG:
One more addition to my Comment: Last paragraph of the article has: “proposing any pragmatic, viable alternative !!” … this is the job of the State Govt. CPM is relaxed today by blaming that crazy lady to be the sole responsible person to drive away Tatas. CPM cannot ignore its failure to keep hold of Tatas and / or offer them an alternative location. What CPM thinks today is it has got a political mileage as Tatas blamed that crazy lady for quitting West Bengal. The People of West Bengal should not forget the failure story of CPM too to retain Tatas.
The failure of the 30+ years of the Left Front rule in West Bengal is irrefutable indeed. Everyone wants an alternative. What I meant in the last paragraph was that no democracy can flourish if it does not have a worthwhile opposition - and unless a political entity has clear standing on its policies it can not be worthwhile. Its West Bengal's ill-luck that the main opposition is concentrating solely on assuming power - without having any idea how to utilize it.
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