Have a regret for Singur, would like to do something for Bengal: Modi

Kolkata, April 21: If he becomes the prime minister,

will look to address the issue of industrialisation in Singur in

.

According to leading Bengali daily Anandabazaar Patrika, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate recently told it in an exclusive interview that since he gave land to the Tatas to set up its Nano car plant after they withdrew from Singur, an agricultural site, he still has a regret for it. Modi said he never wanted to deprive West Bengal and now, when he is preparing to focus on development across the nation, he also has Singur in his vision, the daily reported.

The Tata Motors decided to shift its Nano car factory from Singur after Mamata Banerjee, the current chief minister of West Bengal who was in the opposition then, put up a stiff resistance against the then Left government of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the issue of land acquisition for the factory.

The Tatas withdrew from West Bengal in 2008 and set up its factory in Gujarat

Banerjee, after coming to power in 2011, decided to take back the land and took initiative to return 400 acres to the unwilling farmers in Singur. The tatas moved the court and the Singur law, the first ever legislation of the Mamata Banerjee government, was termed unconstitutional.

Modi also expressed hope that the West Bengal government would co-operate with him in trying to settle the Singur issue through negotiations. Modi shares a good relation with the Tatas and if Banerjee agrees to co-operate, he could facilitate a process of talks between the West Bengal government and the Tatas.

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