I am surprised and shocked. Mamta’s fast has gone on for now 25 days. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s fast against land acquisition in Singur enters the 25th day today. With her health deteriorating in the evening, Banerjee had to be put on oxygen support yesterday.

Narrating how the project was brought to Bengal, Buddha desperately said yesterday at Bengal chamber of commerce meeting that the Tatas were shown three or four locations in the state and they first chose a site at Kharagpur. The Tatas are already present there. But, on the day Bhattacharjee was sworn in as chief minister for his second term, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata had come to Kolkata. It was then he had told the chief minister that, if he could get land nearer to Kolkata, Singur would be his choice. “How could I not keep Ratan Tata’s request?” Bhattacharjee said. “I persuaded him like anything to prevent him from going to Uttaranchal. And now if he has to go away, we will never be able to raise our head. No industry will ever come to Bengal,”

Why is Tata Motors so adamant in locating its Rs 1-lakh-car project at Singur? One will agree that the West Bengal government committed to give it the land at Singur. But it was only after they rejected the offer of Kharagpur where Tatas are already having some factories including Tata Bearings that may be a vendor to Tata Motors.

I don’t understand why Tata Motors can’t change its mind and save Buddha Babu who went out of the way to offer Tatas the 3-crop fertile land at Singur that was known to be a Trinamool stronghold.

What will Tata Motors technically loose if it shifts its project to some other locations? It is a poor strategy of Tata Motors to stick to its point. I am sure the government can find a different place for it near Kolkata itself, and Mamta will agree for it. It will break the stalemate and save the embarrassment of Buddha’s government. Today the whole Bengal is watching this battle between Mamta and Buddha. If Tatas think that Mamta will give up her fast that is already in 24 days old without making Buddha bend, they are mistaken. It would have been nice for Tatas to come on its own, and request for some other alternative locations near Kolkata. It would have enhanced the image of Tatas and Buddha Babu would have been obliged for this noble gesture.

I wish the good sense prevailed over Tatas.

PS “I cannot say no to Ratan Tata, otherwise we will never be able to raise our heads,”<