Sensing that her call for an indefinite siege of Tata Motors plant at Singur from 24th August had won her much more enemies than friends, Mamata Banerjee today somewhat backtracked on her previous stand. A threat on her life by an anonymous caller must also have given her the impression that the Urban Middle Class having large number of unemployed youths has turned against her.
To surmount the misgivings of unemployed youths to an extent and to expel any perception that she is anti-development- a perception aired by eight Chambers of Commerce on Tuesday (5th July) in a carefully drafted statement expressing ‘deep concern’ at disruption of ‘major projects’- Mamata tried to put some healing touch at a press conference in Calcutta on 7th August’08.
Addressing the news conference she told, “I am ready to talk to the Tatas if a proposal comes from them. This is a matter of courtesy. I am not opposed to the car plant at Singur,” clearly indicating she did not want the Tata Motors to leave Bengal.
In a cautious reaction a Tata Motors official said that our company was not averse to talk to any one, but it will be too premature to say the specific issues that can be discussed at the meeting whenever that is held.
Clearly Mamata is looking for a face-saver knowing very well that if Tata Motors had to leave Bengal, all her electoral gains in recent polls would go ashtray and the Bengali Middle Class- which is the chief motivating force in Bengal politics- would hold her perpetually responsible for Industrial failure in Bengal.
Here it will be worthwhile to mention that the house of TATAs are treated with great respect in India, second to none, for unquestionable quality and spread of their products from steel to salt and from daily households to core industrial items.