Ratan Tata with CK Birla. File picture

Aug. 29: A blizzard of appeals rose from Indian industry today to save the Nano project in Singur, prompting some to hear a note of foreboding in the unusual crescendo.

C.K. Birla, Jamshyd Godrej, Sunil Bharti Mittal and S.K. Munjal were some among the army of industrialists who urged all involved to ensure that the Tatas weren’t forced to pull the plug on the project.

Venu Srinivasan and K.V. Kamath, representing CII, also threw their voices behind the Nano factory through separate statements. Mukesh Ambani had articulated his support on Wednesday.

Rarely has Indian industry issued such a raft of statements on a single investment project, fuelling some to speculate that the fate of the Singur plant is hanging by a thin thread and only a contingency could have prompted the chorus.

A factor common to several of the statements was an apprehension that a Tata pullout would have its repercussions not just in Bengal but across the country.

The most striking statement of the day was that of C.K. Birla, the Hindustan Motors chairman, whose vocal endorsement brings together “Tata and Birla” — once a catch-all phrase to describe the entire Indian private sector.

“Tata’s Nano project is a prestigious project for India and for the state of West Bengal.… It would be unfortunate if issues other than economic and social come into play and force the Tata management to consider pulling out from Singur,” said Birla.

Mittal of Bharti, a Tata rival in telecom, said: “The Tatas pulling out of West Bengal will be unfortunate for India.… Immediate political dialogue to find a solution towards keeping the project in West Bengal is imperative.”

“If the House of Tatas, known for its values and care for society, can face such resistance, the much-needed fresh wave of industrialisation in the country would suffer,” he added.

Jamshyd Godrej, the chairman and managing director of Godrej and Boyce, said: “Nano’s moving out would be a setback for not just West Bengal but the entire country. It is very unfortunate that the entire project is facing a political situation which it does not warrant…. The political parties involved must do their best to ensure that the concerns and issues of all the stakeholders are kept in mind, including the companies in question and the original owners of the land.”

Hero Corporate Service chairman S.K. Munjal, too, stressed the national cost. “It is in the interest of both West Bengal and India that the Tata Nano project is not moved at this stage. Withdrawal of the project will severely affect West Bengal’s image, and it certainly won’t do India’s image any good. Political parties must rise above partisan lines….”

He said the “investing en-tity has a responsibility to take care of the interests of all stakeholders, including people who are displaced or re-employed”.

Like Birla, Munjal spoke of the Tatas’ credentials. “Indeed, given their level of social commitment, I have no doubt that the Tatas are fully aware of their responsibilities in Singur as they have demonstrated in many of their companies.”

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said it would like to see an early resolution of the tangle. It warned that “global attention” was on the developments as the Nano was seeking to challenge all conventional theories about car making.