M A I N   N E W S

Ratan Tata blames rivals

New Delhi, December 27
"...Let me just say it is not just political, because I happen to know that some of our competitors are also fuelling some of this fire, and they would be very happy if the project got delayed," Mr Tata said in an interview to NDTV.

The Tata Motors’ car project is mired into controversy over the acquisition of agricultural land and forcible eviction of farmers. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been sitting on a hunger strike that has entered its 24th day.

Mr Tata, however, said they would not pull out of the state.

“I think the West Bengal Government has been very steadfast in its support of the project and I think it would be wrong for us to say that we will pull out and go.” Asked whether he was apprehensive about the project, Mr Tata said: “No, I am not apprehensive that it would not happen and there I really want to say that we could have gone to two or three other states which offered very attractive terms. “Why did we go to West Bengal because we believe in the leadership that the present government has provided,” he said.

Mr Tata said although the state had a Marxist government, “we felt that West Bengal under the leadership of Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is very investment friendly.”

The Tata group chief said the project was getting mired into all kinds of “emotional issues" and the softest option would have been to pull out of the state, but added that was not the intention.

"If I believe that we were doing something wrong, I will be the first one to pull out. If I believe that this is being manipulated and turned around to meet some specious cause, I think, what I would do is to dig my heels in. "I am unfortunately a person that has often said, you put a gun to my head and pull the trigger or take the gun away, I won't move my head," he said.

Mr Ratan Tata said West Bengal was part of the country and had been ignored so far, but asserted that the project was good for the state. — PTI