Kolkata, Oct 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday slammed Trinamool Congress of West Bengal for pushing Tata Motors to pull out its Nano project from the state.

The External Affairs Minister said that though agriculture is necessary for an agriculture driven economy but at the same time industrialization is must.

"Industrialisation is a must. If someone believe that only through the development of agriculture we can sustain, yes we van sustain. I give you example, there are many tribes who at one point of time developed themselves in that atmosphere, in that context I thought the quarrel between industry and agriculture has been resolved with the crucial development of industrial revolution. But unfortunately when we find that still it is being neglected, I must say it is just attempt to put the gear in reverse direction it cannot take place. Development work cannot be built in the air, it has to be built on land," said Mukherjee.

Tata Motors on Friday said it would move out of West Bengal, where violent protests against the factory for its low-cost Nano car had forced it to stop work last month.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee spearheaded the prolonged protests against the factory that eventually led to its exit from the state.

On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lambasted Banerjee for her continued agitation at the site of Nano factory.

"We just cannot depend only on agriculture. An economy cannot develop. And for that we must go for industralisation particularly for young people who coming out from university and colleges, they want industry, they want business. But unfortunately we are facing a very irresponsible opposition and it has created a serious problem. But I believe that one battle is lost but war is not lost," said Bhattacharjee.

Tata Motors, the country's top vehicle maker, had started looking for alternative locations to build the Nano, which it has said would be launched this month, and which is expected to be priced at just above Rs one lakh.

The company, the third-biggest carmaker in India, had planned to make 250,000 cars at the Singur plant in West Bengal initially, increasing capacity to 350,000 units.

Work at the plant was nearly complete when farmers, backed by Trinamool Congress stepped up protests, saying they were forced off their land.

Tata said the decision to move the project out of West Bengal was taken after farmers' protests refused to die down, and the firm feared for the well-being and safety of its employees and vendors.

Cost overruns caused by delays at Singur, where Tata Motors had invested about 350 million dollar, had already raised the cost of production of Nano, which was unveiled to a rousing reception in January and sent rivals scrambling for their own plans.

Tatas could have been more accommodative to solve Singur: Congress

West Bengal Pradesh Congress spokesman and senior party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay in a statement on Sunday said that the Singur crisis could have been solved had the Tatas been accommodative in giving up land more than 70 acres from within the 1,000-acre "Nano" project area to the unwilling farmers.

Bandyopadhyay said that giving up some more land on the part of Tatas was possible considering that the company had been manufacturing at least 10 different models in its factory at Pune whose land area measured only 1050 acres.

He claimed, "On a 1050-acre land the Tatas are manufacturing at least 10 models of car - Safari, Indica, Sumo, Fiesta and heavy and medium vehicles like trucks. But to produce just one model of car the company has acquired 997.11 acres of fertile farmland of which 645.67 is the core area to produce the car."

Bandyopadhyay had visited the Tata Motors factory in Pune in November, 2006.

On October 3, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata decided to pull-out "Nano" small car project out of Singur, following a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata.
Trouble began after the West Bengal Government acquired 1000 acres of farmland for the Tata Motors'' small car plant at Singur last year.
 
The State Government offered compensation, which some farmers rejected.
Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee then took up the fight of the farmers, demanding that at least 400 acres of the acquired land be returned to farmers. (ANI)