Monday, October 20, 2008

Is Ratan Tata a Marxist?



Is Ratan Tata a Marxist?


 


 


 


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Strangely, while the Tatas are being made out to be hyper-political animals, they failed to cosy up to a possible deal with the opponents of the Singur plant, which is what most other Indian business houses would have done just to keep options open for the future.

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“Is the way to go forward through agitation, rallies and strikes?”

Ranabir Ray Choudhury


That the poverty of responsible politics — the responsibility extending to the future of West Bengal and not just to the momentary requirements of politicians and political parties — has been the bane of the State has once again been emphasised by the response the ‘open letter’ from Ratan Tata has drawn from some State politicians.

As has been argued before, in the years ahead, the Nano plant in Singur would have been a feather in the cap of the State, irrespective of which political party or parties ruled the roost at Writers’ Buildings. It, therefore, follows that the shifting of the plant from West Bengal has seriously harmed the State’s long-term interests.

This point is doubly reinforced by the fact that, till now, no politician has attempted the impossible so to speak, namely, to argue that the Tata plant would have affected the interests of the State adversely. Those against the inclusion of the disputed 400 acres never did say that they were against the setting up of the plant.

The only point they tried to make — and in the wrong way — was that the land would have to be returned to those farmers unwilling to sell their land to the State, the plant being given an equivalent area in some other neighbouring location (across the Durgapur Expressway).

Most people disappointed


The objective of labouring this point is to drive home the fact that, irrespective of what some politicians have been saying in public, most people have been disappointed with the Tata decision to move the car plant out of West Bengal.

The tragedy is that — and this is where the ‘open letter’ from Ratan Tata figures and where the poverty of politics in the State lies — some of these ‘leaders’ have been trying to make political capital out of a lose-lose situation for the State’s economy, in the process dragging into the controversy the house of the Tatas, which has done the country proud over the past century.

Indeed, in the normal course, no industrialist sticks his head out and criticises specific politicians and political parties because there is no way of knowing who will be in power in the years ahead, when business opportunities will continue to crop up and one will have to run from pillar to post for licences, etc. But this is precisely what the Tatas have done vis-À-vis the failure of the Singur plant to come up in West Bengal which, according to one view, can only measure their strong conviction that what is happening in West Bengal today is just not right in the economic interests of the people of the State.

‘Secret understanding’ in return for what?


One politician has discovered a ‘secret understanding’ between Bombay House and the Left Front Government in terms of which the Tatas are helping out the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government in return for . . . .what? Industrialists are known to extract their pound of flesh only through hefty profits.

Quite clearly, this politician and others of his ilk will have to eat their words over the next two years if the Tatas do not succeed in their hidden design. Strangely, while the Tatas are being made out to be hyper-political animals, they failed to cosy up to a possible deal with the opponents of the Singur plant, which is what most other Indian business houses would have done just to keep options open for the future.

The only rational explanation for this unusual business behaviour on the part of Ratan Tata is that he is a deeply ideological animal, his support for the Marxists being cemented by his strong penchant for the colour Red.

But this, of course, is sheer nonsense because neither the Tatas nor the Birlas nor the Ambanis or whoever in India’s industrial firmament is known to be a staunch ideological Left supporter beyond the normal preoccupation with social and labour welfare issues.

Admittedly, in his October 17 ‘open letter’ — which was issued in response to the suggestion that the company’s Singur decision was ‘hasty and politically motivated’ — Mr Tata was transparently supportive of the Left Front Government’s industrial policies, stating unequivocally that “all through the two years that we have been constructing the plant at Singur, (the) feeling of faith and confidence in the vision and objectives of the State Government has been reinforced,” all interactions with the Chief Minister and his men having been ‘exemplary.’

He also asked the people of the State, specially the ‘younger citizens’, whether “they would like to support the present Government of Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to build a prosperous State with the rule of law, modern infrastructure and industrial growth, supporting a harmonious investment in the agricultural sector to give the people in the State a better life?” or whether they would prefer to see West Bengal “consumed by a destructive political environment of confrontation, agitation, violence and lawlessness?”

No two views


There can be no two views on the point that, over the past couple of years, the Chief Minister, whatever his drawbacks on other counts, has been doing the right thing for the State’s future as far as industrialisation is concerned.

There will also be complete unanimity on the point that opposition for the sake of opposition is usually a code of conduct for societies where the standard of political behaviour has hit rock-bottom.

On the other hand, what one can say with confidence is that Ratan Tata did not say anything new in his ‘open letter’ which was not included in the statement he issued to the media on October 3 when the withdrawal from Singur was announced.

His appreciation of the Left Front Government was very much there as also his exasperation with the Opposition’s political campaign against the plant. Then also he had asked whether the “future generation of West Bengal (would) have the opportunity unless there is . . . industrial investment?” As he said, “one needs to ponder: Is the way to go forward through agitation, rallies and strikes?”

If Opposition politicians in West Bengal think it fit to make an issue of this very basic stand, this adequately explains why they have not been able to provide effective leadership to those in the State who have been wanting a change of Government.


ata Nano will roll out of Pantnagar by June, say vendors

The auto maker’s original plan was to manufacture 250,000 cars a year and ramp it up to 500,000 units from Singur in West Bengal


Mumbai: Tata Motors Ltd will roll out the first batch of its low-cost Tata Nano car from the company’s Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand in the first half of 2009, said three suppliers present at the company’s national vendors conference where they said the plans were announced.
Tata Motors may initially make 50,000 units in Pantnagar, where it will initially only assemble the car. The engines are likely to be manufactured at its Pune facility, the vendors said.
The auto maker’s original plan was to manufacture 250,000 cars a year and ramp it up to 500,000 units from Singur in West Bengal.
All the vendors quoted in the story asked not to be identified because of a confidentiality clause in their contracts with Tata Motors.
The company had earlier planned to launch the Nano by the end of the year, before it pulled out from Singur due to protests over land acquisition and decided to relocate the plant to Sanand in Gujarat.
The vendors, who were among 300-odd invitees at the conference in Mumbai on 16 October, said the company informed them of its launch programme and other plans.
Debasis Ray, head of corporate communications at Tata Motors, declined to comment on the launch or divulge other details. He only said, “It was a general discussion on company’s long-term strategy. The meets between the company and its vendors happenevery year.”
The vendors mentioned earlier said Tata Motors had to trim its initial production volume as the factory in Sanand may take a year or more to be ready for production. The process for allotting 1,100 acres of land in Sanand will be completed by the end of this month, they said.
Tata Motors currently makes its mini-truck Ace and its variants in Pantnagar.
On a compensation package for vendors who had invested in Singur, Ray said, “Yes, we did arrive at a conclusion but it’s internal to the company and can’t be disclosed.”
It’s is not clear whether the losses by parts suppliers would be compensated by Tata Motors or the West Bengal government.
“Tata Motors has asked us to give an account of the investments made in Singur, post which it will play an instrumental role in ensuring that we are adequately compensated,” said another vendor who attended the conference.
“The company is likely to firm up guidelines for claiming compensation from (the) West Bengal government once it has consolidated account of all the expenditure,” said another supplier.
The subject of revision of price targets was also brought up in the conference. “They said (they) will try and resolve the related concerns,” said a vendor who maintained the company was likely to adhere to its Rs1 lakh price tag.
The day-long gathering was addressed by Ravi Kant, managing director of the company, and other senior officials, the vendors said.

Industry CPM’s poll plank
- Soft on Tata to pin Mamata
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Calcutta, Oct. 14: The CPM central committee today backed Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government and the Bengal party unit on Singur and asked them to focus on post-Nano industrialisation to make it their poll plank.

“We endorsed the steps taken by the state leadership on Singur. The party will go to the people against the destructive politics of the Opposition,” general secretary Prakash Karat said after the three-day deliberations ended this afternoon.

“We are confident that the people of Bengal will defend the mandate of the Assembly elections so the Left Front government can fulfil its goals of industrial and all-round development,” he added.

The Bengal leaders had told the committee yesterday that the party hoped to make electoral gains by cashing in on the anti-Mamata Banerjee mood after the Tata pullout.

Karat denied that the government had failed to contain the situation that led to the pullout. “There’s no question.... Certain leaders and parties are uncontrollable.”

The party has asked the government to take the initiative to bring alternative industrial projects to Singur and implement projects elsewhere.

“(The) withdrawal of (the) Tatas does not mean full stop to the goal of industrialisation. It’s for the government and party to decide what to do with (the) land given for (the) Tata Motors project and whether they should look for alternative options,’’ Karat said.

State CPM secretary Biman Bose said talks were “on at different levels and (on) proposals to set up other industries” at the Tata site. “But nothing concrete has taken shape. I can’t say whether an alternative project will come up before the (Lok Sabha) polls.”

He refused comment on the transport minister’s claim that a deal for another car plant in Singur had been finalised.

Bose rejected Mamata’s renewed demand to return land to the unwilling Singur farmers and maintained that a new project would come up there.

Karat held Mamata responsible for the Tata Motors pullout and declined to criticise the company, though some leaders had found its decision “unreasonable” and “hasty”. “The blame squarely lies with the Opposition and Ratan Tata has made it clear,” Karat said.

Some central committee members said the party had decided not criticise the Tatas as it would blunt the campaign against Mamata. It will also alienate Ratan Tata, whose offensive against Mamata would pay dividends in the polls, they said.

Karat defended acquisition of land in Bengal for industry and found no dichotomy in Kerala’s decision not to do so. “(The) nature of industry is different in Bengal and Kerala, so are their land requirements. Land is scarce in Kerala and most proposals for SEZs and other projects came from IT and biotech industries, requiring 10-50 acres, or 150 acres at the maximum. The situation is different here.”
 
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081015/jsp/bengal/story_9969885.jsp


 



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