Bye-Bye Frosty Ties? 2 Decades After Singur, Mamata Banerjee, Tata Chief Meet
Mamata Banerjee fought the CPI(M) regime in West Bengal - in the Assembly, in the court of public opinion, and on the streets - for decades, but the pivotal moment in her struggle came when she led the protests against the alleged forcible acquisition of farmland for the Tata Motors plant in the state's Singur. The 2006 protests, and similar ones in Nandigram the following year, are believed to have catapulted her to power in Bengal in 2011, ending 34 straight years of CPI(M) rule.
Before that, in 2008, then Tata Group and Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata announced that the company was moving the plant, which would produce his dream affordable car, the Nano, to Gujarat. He also blamed the Trinamool Congress chief for the move, saying, "I think Ms Banerjee pulled the trigger."
Ms Banerjee offered a terse reaction. "It is an unfortunate comment of an individual blaming me for the pullout decision at Singur," she had said at the time.
Nearly two decades later, it appears the perceived animosity between her and the group is well and truly over.
For the first time since she became chief minister in 2011, Ms Banerjee met Tata Sons and Tata Motors Chairman N Chandrasekaran in Kolkata on Wednesday. The conversation, according to the Trinamool Congress, centred on "deepening the Tata Group's presence in the state".
Posting photos of the meeting, the Trinamool Congress wrote on X, "Smt. @MamataOfficial hosted Shri Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and the Tata Group, for a constructive dialogue on Bengal's industrial growth and emerging opportunities."
Smt. @MamataOfficial hosted Shri Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and the Tata Group, for a constructive dialogue on Bengal's industrial growth and emerging opportunities.
The meeting reflected Bengal's commitment to fostering meaningful public-private… pic.twitter.com/WFXEQs0WVU
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 9, 2025
"The meeting reflected Bengal's commitment to fostering meaningful public-private partnerships that drive innovation, investment, and inclusive development," it added.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by All India Trinamool Congress (@aitcofficial)
The thaw appeared to be underway earlier this year as well, when Ms Banerjee had said at the Bengal Global Business Summit that she had spoken to Mr Chandrasekaran over the phone and he had told her that the group was keen on "coming to" Bengal.
"I have also requested him to start direct flights from Kolkata to Europe, and he did not say no, his voice sounded positive," she had said, referring to Mr Chandrasekaran, who is also the chairman of Air India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Chirag Paswan gets adeath threat through social media days after jumping into Bihar assembly polls; complaint filed
Union minister Chirag Paswan received a death threat through social media, his party revealed on Friday, springing cops into action, ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Hajipur: Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan pays tribute to his father and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan on the latter's birth anniversary, in Hajipur,(PTI) According to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) spokesperson Rajesh Bhatt's complaint in the Patna Cyber Police Station, the threat came through Instagram under the username 'Tiger Meraj IDISI'. This comes days after Paswan, who leads LJP (Ram Vilas), threw his hat into the Bihar assembly polls. "The threat was issued due to Paswan's growing popularity. The act "clearly reflects criminal intent and involvement in unlawful activities. I request you to take immediate cognisance of the seriousness of this matter and initiate prompt action. Kindly arrest the suspect without delay and ensure that the strictest possible punishment is delivered," news agency ANI quoted Bhatt as saying in his complaint. Cyber DCP Nitish Chandra Dharia revealed that the threat came on Friday night, and legal action was initiated in the matter. "On the night of July 11, at around 9 pm, Union Minister Chirag Paswan received a death threat via social media. A case has been registered in the Patna Cyber Police Station, and legal action is underway," Dharia told the media. Chirag Paswan to contest Bihar elections Chirag Paswan, the Union minister for food processing and a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar's Hajipur, announced last week that he would contest the assembly polls in the state later this year. Paswan made the announcement while addressing a gathering in Saran. "Today, from this sacred land of Saran, I am declaring before all of you that yes, I will contest the election. I will contest the election for the people of Bihar, for my brothers, for my mothers, for my sisters, and we will create a system in Bihar, we will build a Bihar that will truly take the state forward on the path of development," he said during the gathering. Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), along with Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). LJP is expected to keep on allying with the NDA for the upcoming Bihar polls. However, Paswan has not yet confirmed his stance on it. Bihar assembly elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet to announce an official date.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Google Search is under attack. Why ChatGPT won't overthrow it yet.
While ChatGPT's meteoric rise in popularity has positioned it to rival to traditional search engines, analysts say the chatbot hasn't knocked Google out of the top spot just yet. Citi Research analysts led by Ronald Josey reiterated a Buy rating and $203 target price on shares of Alphabet, Google's parent, on Friday. The stock was down slightly at $177.18 in morning trading. Citi polled 2,400 Google Search users in the U.S. and found that the search engine 'remains core to most users' Internet usage." The same conclusion held true across all age groups, Citi said. Still, the bank cited a rise in 'alternative search experiences" among young users, naming ChatGPT and Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram as examples. ChatGPT has become the 'go-to" destination for younger users, with Google usage rising with age, Citi said. While 85% of respondents selected Google as their 'core search engine," with 72% saying Google was their first site to search online, differences emerged among age groups. Among users aged 41 to 55, 88% of respondents named Google as their core search engine, but that number dipped to 83% for respondents aged 14 to 24. With that being said, the use of AI agents appears to be 'more research-driven than commercial," as opposed to Google Search, where shopping was ranked as the top use case among respondents, Citi said. And the bank believes there's more to love about Google's growth story, as responses indicated that the use of other features such as Shopping and Travel continued to accelerate. Overall, the results suggest that Google Search is standing its ground for now, which is good news for Alphabet. Revenue attributed to Google Search and other services accounted for more than half of the total in the latest quarter. Google is set to report second-quarter results on July 23. Based on Citi's preliminary analysis, 'we believe the broader online advertising environment, including search and YouTube, is healthy," the analysts wrote. Other firms have sounded the alarm about AI and its effects on Google Search. However, Citi believes the search engine's advertising market improved throughout the quarter. Earnings will put that theory to the test.
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Gotta catch 'em all: Passion turns business for Pokémon enthusiast
'Every collector starts off wanting 1 or 2 cards, but slowly it turns into more than you expected. I was spending way too much on Pokémon cards and needed a way to sell them,' he laughs, adding that when he started, his collection was around 500. 'Initially, the idea was just to have a shop. But since we (including volunteers) are trying to grow Pokémon card collecting in Bengaluru as well, we thought, why not set up our inventory in our car and drive around, just to see who's interested. People are always curious when they see us driving by,' he adds. It turns out quite a lot of people are, with most of Reddy's collection selling out in a week, and one reel about him on Instagram getting upwards of 30,000 likes. Ranging from ₹50 to ₹45,000, Reddy's Pokémon cards include those in three different languages – English, Japanese, and Korean, with a focus on vintage and rare cards. 'I like to focus on cards that came out between 1996 and 1999, because that's when Pokémon cards started being released. They are also rare in varying levels – those that were released on the first day and those that were released in the first year. I have most of the non-first edition cards that are rare and valued around ₹30,000, but not those that go up to ₹5 lakh,' he explains.
