Oct 3, 2008

Sayonara Singur... you can sulk or agitate, it means nothing

Indian national, regional and the international media have catapulted Singur, a sleepy hamlet in Hooghly district, in West Bengal, India to fame, thanks to the Tata Motors factory that was to have rolled out the wonder $2500 car this month...
... we already have gone past the events and placed the factory to "was to have rolled out,"... in the past tense since Ratan Tata has announced that he is moving out of the State...
what this decision will do to Brand Bengal, time will say... because even the so-called Brand Bengal is the brain child of a political party that has to its credit, the singular achievement of closing down countless factories and plants.
who is to blame for this? well, Ratan Tata blamed Trinamool leader, Mamata Banerjee, which many, including Banerjee, have interpreted as being coached by the Left. If this is not far-fetched, what can be?
we more or less know what all have transpired between the impasse which started in late August... the Opposition led by Trinamool Congress started a dharna in front of the Tata Motors factory which was operational for the first three days, after which the Tatas issued a Press Release and closed the plant effective August 28, post which the Governor stepped in (an unpreceedented move in India's constitutional democracy)and put the two parties to a dialogue and coming out with a formula of settlement... the bickering continued, with each side accusing the other of having not met the terms of the formula...
while these bickerings will continue, what does it mean for the ordinary, average non-political man? without doubt, it is a jolt... a jolt to the dreams of working within the State and not moving out, of earning a livelihood staying at home, since the auto major would have brought a slew of investments by ancillaries... Tata Motors had even started the training of some young men and women for their forthcoming employment with them. While he did mention that these people will be absorbed wherever the new factory comes up, it is doubtful since it will clash with the new people whose land he will need to build the new factory, in some other State...
Mamata will continue her political life, the Left will try to woo someone else to come and build Brand Bengal to reality... hopefully, the latter will learn that land cannot be taken summarily and will involve the Opposition before sealing a deal in future, but what happens to those whose land has gone to the Tatas where they will not be able to farm and some member of the family is half-trained?
any answer Mr Bhattacharya? or Ms Banerjee?
hopefully, we will rememeber when we cast our votes next election and not swallow whatever they tell us, Left or Trinamool...

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