KOLKATA: The statement of Tata Motors saying that it has won an arbitral award of Rs 766 crore plus interest from West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) to compensate its investment in the Nano project in Singur has triggered political uproar in Bengal, with Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari threatening to launch massive protests across the state if the compensation is paid by the state exchequer.
“If the state government decides to pay the compensation by using its own fund, the BJP will not tolerate it. The ruling TMC has a party-fund of Rs 800 crore which should be used to pay the compensation,” said Adhikari. The CPM lambasted the Mamata Banerjee-led government, saying it has already thrown the people of state into a deep ditch of debt with a loan of `6 lakh crore and the present government’s bankrupt state is not in a position to pay the compensation. CPM’s Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya said the Bengal government was in no position to pay the compensation.
“Mamata Banerjee’s populist politics has thrown the people of the state into deep trouble. The government is burdened with a debt of Rs 6 lakh crore. It is not bankrupt. How will it pay the compensation with interest?” The TMC, however, said the government would not have to pay the compensation.
“It is an arbitral tribunal’s award. It is not an order passed by the Supreme Court. There are options for the state government to move high court and the apex court challenging the arbitral reward,” said TMC MP Shantanu Sen.
‘Bengal in deep trouble’
CPM’s Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya said the Bengal government was in no position to pay the compensation. “Mamata Banerjee’s populist politics has thrown the people of the state into deep trouble.”