Modi reaches out to Mamata, hopes of cooperation if he wins

Mamata Banerjee with actors Raima and Ria Sen at an election rally at Suri in
Birbhum on Friday. PTI

PTI,  Kolkata | April 19, 2014: BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has expressed hope of getting Mamata Banerjee’s cooperation in creating a conducive atmosphere for industrialisation if he comes to power, which includes resolving the Singur problem.

“I hope I will get all sorts of cooperation from West Bengal chief minister in solving the Singur tangle. Not only Singur, I hope I will get cooperation from the state government in creating a conducive atmosphere for industrialsation in the state. Hope Trinamool Congress will not indulge in votebank politics on the question of development of the state”, he told Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika.

On the Nano project, he said, “I gave land to the Tatas when they were in trouble. But I feel guilty of West Bengal because it was not my intention to deprive it (of the project). “Now, when I am thinking of development of the entire country, I have Singur in mind,” he said.

The Tatas shifted Nano project to Gujarat in 2008 in the face of agitation by TMC against the acquisition of farmland in Singur by the then Left Front government.

Terming the criticism against each other by BJP and TMC as “natural” during election campaign, Modi said: “BJP and TMC are two different parties. Ideologically, they are different. It is only natural that they will criticise each other during the elections. But if I come to power I will not be revengeful against any state.”

Modi said: “I will not make any personal comments against her. On the other hand, I will give a guarantee that the state will not be deprived in any way as far as far as development is concerned. Whatever be the political differences (between us), the Centre-state dispute should not be there”.