Nirupam Sen

Calcutta, Jan. 6: Industries minister Nirupam Sen today hailed Mamata Banerjee’s New Year greeting to business houses as something “good for the state” and saw in it a vindication of the state government’s policies.

“Politically, it could be bad for me but it is good for the state,” Sen told a meeting organised by trade body Assocham, referring to the Trinamul Congress chief’s letter.

Mamata had written to the heads of the city business chambers and prominent businessmen wishing them a prosperous 2010 and pledging to work together for a better future.

Sen did not name Mamata or her party, but alluded to her move, which took sections of the business circle by surprise, saying the effort underlined the need for industrialisation, which his government had espoused over the past few years. “I feel so happy when I see this. Some of our political leaders are trying to send (a) message to industry…. They want to project (themselves) as industry-friendly. This realisation is good.”

Later, he said the Trinamul leader could be trying to portray such an image of herself because the people of the state did not want to see her as anti-industry.

However, that does not explain why the Left suffered its worst ever defeat in the Lok Sabha polls months after Mamata’s agitation forced Tata Motors to pull out from Bengal. The Left bid to whip up anger against “anti-industry Mamata” had not cut ice even with urban voters.

According to Sen, the effort by leaders to “project (themselves) as industry-friendly” should help build a consensus on industrialisation, which has so far eluded Bengal.

Business leaders welcomed Sen’s reaction to Mamata’s letter. “It’s good that he took it positively. Political parties must understand that industry should only be driven by economic fundamentals and nothing else,” said Biswadip Gupta, CEO of JSW Bengal Steel.

Local industry leaders may be complaining about Bengal’s “image problem” since Tata Motors’ exit from Singur, but Sen said investment proposals were pouring in.

He said Rs 13,000 crore worth of proposals came in 2009 and they would require no more than 1,400 acres. “This much land is with the state government right now.”

The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation is building 25 industry parks across the state, he added.

Sen iterated the need for government role in land acquisition — the method used in Singur and opposed by Mamata — saying it would ensure rehabilitation and job generation. He argued that the direct-purchase model — where industry buys land from owners as opposed to the government using the land acquisition act and taking it over in lieu of a compensation — had met with limited success in Bengal.

Tata Metaliks abandoned its Bengal plans and went to Karnataka after failing to get as much land as it wanted through direct purchase.

Singur land

Sen said the state had yet to write to Tata Motors seeking the Singur land back.

“We have kept them posted on various proposals but not written officially for the plot,” he said. “We will ask them to return the land when there is a firm proposal (for an alternative project).”