Dear Buddhadeb ji,
Shubh Dussehra and Shubh Vijaya Dashami.
Perhaps you’d be surprised to see this open letter. But I’m doing this after due deliberation. The people of Bengal might be thinking that by bringing Nano to Gujarat, I’ve snatched their subsistence. It’s not so. I’m writing this to eliminate any misunderstandings on this issue.
I’m writing this letter to you through the medium of Anandabazar Patrika. So that I can reach the maximum number of Bengal residents, apart from you.
I have high regards for you as a Chief Minister. Your efforts for industrializing West Bengal are well known to the people of the country. Even Ratan Tata is fulsome in your praise. Yet Bengal couldn’t hold on to the Nano!
The fact of the matter is: despite your efforts, Bengal doesn’t yet have the work-culture to produce a Nano.
I didn’t intervene with my proposals when there were talks of the Nano going to your state. I rather thought — let the project materialize in Singur. If it doesn’t, I’ll bring it to my state.
I got active from the moment I saw the imminent departure of the Nano from your state. And I got the results. There is already Diwali in the state of Gujarat in view of the Nano’s arrival. The region where we gave land for the Nano – the people of that village lighted fireworks the whole night. The sarpanch of that village is a local Muslim. He has expressed gratitude to me and my government on behalf of the whole village.
Let me tell you one thing. Our policy of development and industrialization is consistent. It doesn’t change based on party diktat. From the outset we’ve tried to take advantage of economic liberalization in a competitive society. We have tried to get bigger and bigger industries into our state. You know what, having an uninterrupted commitment to the policy of industrialization helps engender confidence among the people. Communists like you had at one point taken a stance of complete antagonism towards industry. People saw how you prevented computers from entering your state. And today all of you are talking of industrialization! But Buddhadeb babu, however hard you try for industrialization, your party and your administration are still not with you completely.
The land given to Ratan Tata was originally taken for the agricultural university. Having given that to the Tatas, we have promptly given a substitute land to the university. The Tatas have paid for the land and bought it. The land was already in government possession. For which there was no debate on agriculture/non-agriculture.
I managed to grant them the land in two days. Many asked, how could it be possible? Just one answer – we have created a land-bank for industrialization in advance by taking over land. We also have a roadmap for industrialization. We complete the task of land acquisition well in advance. So that if an industrialist comes, he could be granted that immediately. That doesn’t mean that all land here is infertile. We have cultivable land too. We too have to pay compensation for acquisitions. But we always do that through dialogue. That’s a continual process.
I accept, Bengal has far more cultivable land than does Gujarat. I also accept, that since almost all land is fertile in Bengal, the problems of land-acquisition are more acute. And for that very reason, it’s important to keep a dialogue going with your opposition parties. In Gujarat, we never stop talking with our opposition. You’d probably be surprised to know that the process continues the whole year.
I’ll say again, I didn’t have any conscious desire to snatch the Nano away from your state. It’s through happenstance, the commitment of the people of Gujarat towards industrialization, work-culture, and joint effort by all regardless of political affiliations, that the project came to our state. I’d hope that some day a similar climate would come into existence in your state too.
With best wishes,
Aapka apna,
Narendra Modi
Posted on October 13th, 2008 by Ashok Chavda
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