Niira Radia Explains Why Ratan Tata Chose Singur For Nano Factory [Video]

New Delhi:

The decision to build Nano, the Rs 1 lakh car, in Bengal’s Singur, had taken the team of Ratan Tata, one of the country’s tallest icons, by surprise, as did the unexpected price point of the car, Niira Radia, former chairperson of now-defunct Vaishnavi Communications — which managed public relations for the Tata Group from 2000 to 2012 — told NDTV in an exclusive interview today. Recalling Mr Tata and their decade-long association, Ms Radia described him as a dreamer and visionary who wanted to build a car that would keep the common man riding a two-wheeler “out of the rain”. 

That the car would be built in Bengal’s Singur was a surprise announcement, Ms Radia told NDTV – “We were not told what would be the site. We were really surprised”.

Ratan Tata, she said, chose Bengal because he felt at the time that the state needed industrialisation. He chose Singur, because that was the …