Almost 20 Years After Singur, Mamata & Tata Group Bury The Hatchet - As Ratan Tata Said, 'Bengal Not Closed Chapter'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) While announcing the decision to move Tata Motors out of Bengal in 2008 amid the Singur protests, Ratan Tata had categorically said,“Bengal is not a closed chapter”. Nearly two decades later, it appears that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Tata Group have decided to bury the hatchet.

On Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee met with Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran at the Nabanna State Secretariat in Howrah. The meeting primarily focused on exploring industrial opportunities and investment prospects in the state.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) said, "The meeting reflected Bengal's commitment to fostering meaningful public-private partnerships that drive innovation, investment, and inclusive development."

Later, the party posted on X,“Smt. @MamataOfficial hosted Shri Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and the Tata Group, for a constructive dialogue on Bengal's industrial growth and emerging opportunities. The meeting reflected Bengal's commitment to fostering meaningful public-private partnerships that drive innovation, investment, and inclusive development.”

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Mamata Banerjee battled the CPI(M) regime in West Bengal for decades - in the Assembly and on the streets- but things turned in her favour with the Singur protests in 2006. The agitation was against the alleged forcible farmland acquisition for the Tata Motors Nano plant. Another major protest followed in Nandigram in 2007.

These protests are widely seen as the turning points that led to Mamta's rise to power in Bengal in 2011, ending 34 straight years of CPI(M) rule.

In 2008, then Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata announced the relocation of the Nano plant to Gujarat, expressing frustration over the opposition protest led by Mamata Banerjee.

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With Tata saying,“I think Banerjee pulled the trigger,” Mamata hit back, saying, "It is an unfortunate comment of an individual blaming me for the pullout decision at Singur."

However, even then, Tata had categorically mentioned,“Bengal is not a closed chapter.”

Now, almost 20 years later, the meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Chandrasekaran signals a potential thaw in relationships.

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