A Tata comeback in West Bengal? BJP minister vows to rewrite chapter that propelled Mamata Banerjee to power

KOLKATA: Newly inducted West Bengal industries minister Tapas Roy on Wednesday said the BJP government would make efforts to bring the Tata Group back to the state and revive investor confidence, as he pitched Bengal as a destination for fresh industrial growth.Roy said his priority would be to attract Tata investments and send a message that the state was ready for an industrial revival."My priority will be to bring back the Tatas in a big way in the state. The situation created by the previous TMC-led government was pathetic. We want to send a strong message that Bengal is ready for industry once again," he said.The minister also said the government would try to bring back more than 6,500 enterprises and entrepreneurs who had moved their operations out of West Bengal over the years."We will hold talks with industrialists and business leaders across the country and abroad to attract investments. Bengal offers immense opportunities in manufacturing, services and renewable energy sectors," Roy said.Roy's remarks came after portfolios were allocated among ministers, 10 days after the swearing-in of the expanded cabinet of the BJP government in West Bengal.The minister accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of damaging investor sentiment and said the new administration would focus on creating an industry-friendly environment, improving ease of doing business and generating employment opportunities for the state's youth.'One of Bengal's biggest industrial flashpoints'The Tata Group's exit from Singur in 2008 remains one of Bengal's biggest industrial flashpoints.Tata Motors had abandoned plans to set up a small-car factory there after prolonged protests. The move became a major political turning point, contributing to the Left Front's defeat and Mamata Banerjee's rise to power.Roy, a veteran politician, began his career with the Congress before joining the Trinamool Congress, where he became a key organisational leader and legislator. He resigned from the TMC ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and joined the BJP, citing differences with the party leadership.He later emerged as one of the BJP's prominent faces in Bengal politics and won from the Maniktala assembly constituency.West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya had recently said the state government wanted the Tata Group to return to Singur, calling it both an economic necessity and a strong signal that Bengal was open for business again.The Nano project's exit and the dismantling of the nearly completed factory had triggered concerns among investors about policy uncertainty in the state.However, the TMC has rejected the criticism.Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien recently pointed to the Tata Group's continued presence and expansion in West Bengal over the last 15 years, while former state finance minister Amit Mitra also defended Bengal's industrial record.