'We are still hopeful on Singur'

Q&A: Sitaram Yechury

As the Tatas started to pull out from Singur, the CPI(M)’s influential Politburo leader, Sitaram Yechury, tells Saubhadra Chatterji that in the coming elections land would be a dominant issue.

Now that the Tatas are shifting their equipment from the Singur plant and so many states are offering them sites for the Nano factory, is it the end of Singur dream for your government (in West Bengal) and the party?

I hope not. We are still hopeful that reason will prevail. This project is an important beginning for the process of renewed industrialisation in Bengal. We hope things will fall in place.

Are you still hopeful?

(laughs) Hopes will always reign. But one thing is clear, that both the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee are doing a great disservice to the state. Thousands of people were dependent on this project and now all of them will be on the road.

Do you fear the Singur episode will have a cascading effect on the industrialisation initiative in Bengal?

No. I don’t think so.

There are reports that Infosys too wants to quit Bengal as it hasn’t got any land yet.

Well, in that case, the people of Bengal have to answer what sort of politics they want in the state. When the elections are held they will decide. Let them determine the fate of the state in the coming elections. But I don’t think any one incident will trigger any cascading effect on Bengal’s industrialisation.

One of your senior Central Committee member, Binay Konar, has targeted the Bengal governor for his role in the Singur negotiations.

I don’t want to comment.