Ratan Tata has lost the plot, says West Bengal finance minister

Kolkata, Aug 7:

Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Thursday took a sharp dig at Chairman Emeritus of Tata Group

, saying the latter was not keeping himself updated with the reality owing to his growing age. "He has lost the plot," Mitra said.

The state finance minister told a local Bengali channel that he was surprised to see that Tata wasn't updated about Bengal's economic growth. "Tata Metaliks and Ambanis have expressed interest in West Bengal. We have also identified 40,000 acres for industrial development. Didn't his office update him about this? Let him fly aeroplanes, he is getting old," Mitra said.

Mitra said it while reacting to Tata's criticism of Bengal's pace of economic development. [Read: Kolkata fails to impress Ratan Tata]

On Wednesday, the industrialist said in an interactive session in Kolkata that he could not see any industrial development in the city but only residential projects and commercial activities. He even termed the development as "countryside" one.

The 74-year-old leader also raised the example of Narendra Modi, the current prime minister and former chief minister of Gujarat, saying the latter made great contribution in the development of the state.

The Tatas were forced to move its Nano car factory from West Bengal in October 2008 in the face of strong political opposition and was welcomed by Modi in Gujarat. The abandoned factory in Singur in Bengal has remained a subject of legal contention between the Tata Motors and West Bengal government ever since. Tata even said later that moving out of Singur was one of the toughest decisions of his life.

In a bitter coincidence, the Oberoi Group also said on Wednesday that it doesn't have plans for either Kolkata or Bengal.

Oneindia News