Priority will be to bring back Tatas in big way: Bengal's new industries minister

Kolkata: Newly inducted Bengal Industries Minister Tapas Roy on Wednesday said that he wants to bring in investments from the Tata Group in a "big way" and send a message that Bengal was ready for an industrial revival.

He said efforts would also be made to bring back more than 6,500 enterprises and entrepreneurs who had shifted their operations out of the state over the years.

Portfolios were allocated among ministers on Wednesday, 10 days after the swearing-in of the extended cabinet of the BJP government in West Bengal.


Speaking to reporters after portfolio allotments, Roy said the BJP government would work to restore investor confidence in West Bengal, and alleged the previous Trinamool Congress regime had hurt investor sentiment.

"My priority will be to bring back the Tatas in a big way in the state. The situation created by the previous TMC-led government was pathetic. We want to send a strong message that Bengal is ready for industry once again," he said.

"We will hold talks with industrialists and business leaders across the country and abroad to attract investments. Bengal offers immense opportunities in manufacturing, services and renewable energy sectors," Roy said.

In 2008, Tata Motors abandoned plans to set up a small-car factory here amid relentless protests. The exit has caused a seismic shift in the state's political landscape, unseating the Left Front and propelling Mamata Banerjee to power.

The minister said the government would focus on creating an industry-friendly environment, ensuring ease of doing business and generating employment opportunities for the state's youth.

A veteran politician, Roy began his political career in Congress before joining the Trinamool Congress, where he emerged as a prominent organisational leader and legislator.

He resigned from the Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and joined the BJP, citing differences with the party leadership.

He subsequently became one of the BJP's prominent faces in Bengal politics and won from the Maniktala assembly constituency.

In a recent interview with PTI, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya had said the state government wants the Tata Group to return to Singur, describing it as both an economic necessity and a powerful signal that the state is again open for business.

The departure of the Nano project and the subsequent dismantling of the near-complete factory sent shockwaves through corporate India, creating an enduring perception of policy uncertainty and resistance to large-scale industrial projects in the state.

However, the TMC had countered the claim, with the party's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Saturday highlighted the Tata Group's presence and expansion in West Bengal over the last 15 years. Former West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra had also backed the state's industrial record.