Thursday, May 20, 2010

SINGUR: THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS - Nirupam Sen

THE people of the country, of Bengal, and of Singur may legitimately pose the question as to what made the Tata
group wind up the small car project at Singur when more than 85 per cent of work has been completed.

A run of devastation called an ‘agitation,’ has had a temporary triumph. It has wounded both the prospects of
industrial investment in the state and the process of industrialisation. Again, we call this a temporary
phenomenon. The majority of the people of the state – indeed, an overwhelming majority – had wanted from the
core of their heart that the Singur project must become a reality.

Following the meeting that Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and I had with Ratan Tata, the
expectation of the people has perhaps touched rock-bottom. Only history will tell in the months and years to come
what would the losses entail to no less than eight crore of men and women of the state.

At the end of the meeting on October 3, 2008 Tata addressed the media and announced that the small car project
would now be shifted away from Singur because ‘there is no there alternative,’ now more than ever, what with the
clear ‘responsibility devolving on the so-called ‘agitation’ of the Trinamul Congress.’ The project to which the
people of the state had looked with so much of fond expectation for a period of two-and-a-half years saw the
shutters come down at last.

The people of the state would not be witness to the turning back of the wheel of history – the people of Bengal
know how to face contingencies of whatever kind. The project, it is now clear has been shifted away from Singur
simply and only because of destructive, irresponsible acts of violence by the main opposition party in Bengal and
some its cohort outfits. The vast majority of the people of Singur, indeed of Bengal, do not support in any manner
the pattern of behaviour of these political outfits. They wanted the project to see the light of the day. They stood
to lose out the most. The extent of loss will be something that will be felt in full measure in the days ahead.

However, we have not an iota of doubt in our hearts-and-minds that the negative ‘agitationsists’ movement shall
be met politically. People must come forward. The campaign-movement that would soon unfurl across the state
and in the country must be conducted amidst the people, with the people.

The event has harmed the prospects of industrialisation. It has also left bleeding in its wake the prospects of
industrial investment in the state. Hurt shall be felt amongst the younger generation more because for them the
Singur project was a beacon of hope. Nevertheless, not all this shall ever signify that the industrialists concerned
with ongoing and future projects shall all go away from this state. The process of industrialisation in Bengal on a
sound and expanding agrarian base is important and emergent. We shall have to traverse along this path.

Let me say that we do not support the decision that the Tata’s have chosen to take. Yet, we are aware that there is
a timeframe fixed for the production of the small car. Things were already running behind schedule because of
various factors. Tata’s have clearly pointed out that they do want production to go on under police protection.
They wanted a peaceful ambience. They looked to safety and security for the guards they had employed. These
expectations were quite in the order of things. The state government had made ample arrangements to look after
security.

However, the state government, at the same time, did not want any happenings to take place that would open the
portals for violent deeds to take place. The opposition wanted exactly this to happen: let blood be shed. And then
they would utilise it shamelessly to widen their kind of politics. The state government would not afford them this
heinous opportunity.

The opposition had promised that their agitation would remain peaceful. They did not keep the pledge. Some may
view the patience exhibited by the state government while dealing with this so-called agitation as weakness. But
our principle was that we did not want to have any unpleasant incident on our hands. Those who created the
violence that wrote finish to the Singur project for the time being should do a bit of soul-searching to seek how
much of good their deeds have done to the people of Bengal.

On the issue of returning the acquired land, we hold that there is no such proviso in the Indian Constitution. The
present owner of the land is the state government. There is no legal proviso by which one can return the land to
the farmers or to the previous owners. There is really no need now more than ever to enter into any dialogue with
the opposition any longer. The court of law shall hold onto the cheques of those who had not accepted them for
whatever reason.

If somebody asks of us that we should have entered into discussion with the opposition earlier, our counter-query
would be what timeframe are we talking about? Can anyone name just a single project where the principal
opposition party has come forward on to the table for discussion? Their politics is that they will never allow any
good to happen to Bengal. The picture is the same whether the project is a road project or a project for generation
of electricity.

We are right amidst the festival season and this is the time when we are faced with a sad and tragic event. The
youth must be bitterly disappointed. We could not think that the main opposition party would play at such
sectarian, such destructive politics. It is their role, let no one be mistaken, that has prevented the Singur project
from becoming viable and vibrant.