West Bengal government remains unwavering in its commitment to industrialisation despite the CPM's poll reverses in the recent panchayat polls, says Nirupam Sen, state commerce and industries minister. Sumali Moitra spoke to Sen, who is also a member of CPM's politburo: Will the panchayat poll results slow the industrialisation momentum? I don't think that there is any significant development after the panchayat elections which suggests that the people of West Bengal do not favour industry. The overall analysis suggests that percentagewise, our performance in most parts of rural Bengal is on par with the 2006 assembly election results, even though we have got fewer seats this time. These elections are often fought on local issues. Therefore, it would not be right to call the results a verdict against the state's industrialisation policy. What about the announcement to achieve a consensus before proceeding with a project? We had started the process of having discussions with all political parties and panchayat representatives at different levels for each and every project long before the panchayat elections. Some people say that we have got a lesson in the panchayat elections for Nandigram. We learned the lesson from the movement long before the polls. That's why the government decided to respect the local people's wishes and shift the project. So, the presumption that the result of the panchayat elections has forced the government to seek a consensus is not right. The government thinks that it should learn from each and every agitation. But perceptions matter a lot. How will you convince potential investors? The problem over land for industry is not a local issue and restricted to West Bengal. Industrialists are facing the same problems everywhere in India whenever a large amount of land is required. Fear and uncertainty about the future among people whose lands would be necessary for the projects is the main reason for this problem. Industrialists also know that this is not an abnormal thing. Seen from another perspective, this land ripple is a positive indication that something is happening in West Bengal. With every threat, comes some opportunities. You have to learn to take those opportunities. You have said that focus will be on non-fertile land. But, eventually, you may have to take fertile land. Have you thought of the future? Once industrialisation is in full swing, people will realise the benefits. Even in Singur, people have now started to realise how the project is beneficial to them. Industry requires a different kind of mindset. The mindset will change with the industrialisation process gathering momentum. If you drive down from Singur to Burdwan, you will see that the land on either side of the highway has already been piled up, which means that the land has already been sold for some purpose, other than agriculture. People have realised the benefits there.