KOLKATA: Tata Group chairman Ratan Tatas open letter to the people of West Bengal has evoked mixed reactions from political parties in the state.

The CPI(M) said it was Tatas democratic right to express his feelings after the Singur fiasco. Central committee member and Citu state president Shyamal Chakrabarty said Tata had only written what he experienced, that the opposition tried to resist any development work.

CPI(M) central committee member Benoy Konar denied that the party influenced Tata to write the letter. "Tatas are not of that reputation," he said.

CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, "Tata has already made similar remarks at press conferences before, so why the fuss now?"

State CPI secretary Manu Kumar Maunder said, "Some may not be in agreement with what Tata said. But his democratic right prevails."

But the Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) said Tata acted irrationally. According to RSP leader and state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami, Tata cannot determine the political decisions of the people of a state. Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh said Tatas letter was unacceptable.

The Congress was divided. Manas Bhuyian said the people of Bengal will take their own political decisions without being influenced by the letter. But Subrata Mukherjee was more hard hitting. "Tata should not contest elections on behalf of the CPI(M)," he said.

State BJP president Satyabrata Mukherjee said that while Mamata Banerjee had exceeded the democratic limits in Singur, it would be unfair to blame her alone for the Tatas pullout.

As expected, the Trinamool Congress lambasted Tata. Partho Chattopadhyay, leader of the opposition in the assembly, said he may file a suit of libel against Tata for claiming that the Singur movement was backed by vested interests.

Source : DNA