“Pulled the trigger” to shaking hands: Decades after Ratan Tata’s exit, Mamata Banerjee meets Tata Sons chair N Chandrasekaran

Nearly two decades after a contentious exit from West Bengal, the Tata Group’s leadership met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee this week, signaling a potential thaw in relations that were once defined by protests and political upheaval.

“I think Ms Banerjee pulled the trigger,” the late Ratan Tata, then chairman of Tata Group and Tata Motors, had said when the company decided to shift its Nano car plant from Singur in West Bengal to Gujarat.

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Banerjee, who led the protests against what she described as the forced acquisition of farmland, responded at the time: “It is an unfortunate comment of an individual blaming me for the pullout decision at Singur.”

The 2006 demonstrations in Singur, followed by similar protests in Nandigram, proved to be a turning point in West Bengal’s political history, helping Banerjee rise to power and ending 34 years of Communist Party of India (Marxist) rule. But none of those tensions were evident on Wednesday, when Banerjee held her first meeting with Tata Group leadership since becoming chief minister in 2011.

Banerjee met with Tata Sons and Tata Motors Chairman N. Chandrasekaran at the Nabanna State Secretariat in Howrah, with discussions centered on West Bengal’s industrial prospects and potential investments.

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“The meeting reflected Bengal’s commitment to fostering meaningful public-private partnerships that drive innovation, investment, and inclusive development,” the Trinamool Congress said in a statement on its official X account.

“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 partnerships that drive innovation, investment, and inclusive development,” it added.

Earlier this year, Banerjee said at the Bengal Global Business Summit that she had spoken to Chandrasekaran by phone, and he had expressed interest in exploring investments in the state.

Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was also present at the meeting. According to an official in the Chief Minister’s Office, the discussions included potential investment opportunities across sectors in West Bengal.