Meanwhile, Buddha works overtime to welcome Salem

But by the end of the day it was more than evident that Bhattacharjee’s religion now is to attract Foreign Direct Investment. And he got for himself an “Arjuna’’ and a “Mahabharata’’ from the Salem Group. The two-wheeler factory, being set up in Uluberia in Howrah, has been christened Mahabharata Motorcycle Manufacturing Company Pvt. Ltd. and was registered today with the payment of the first instalment of a cheque of Rs 3.82 crore to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation towards the cost of land.

A smiling Bhattacharjee said Salem had called the bike Arjuna. Its logo: Krishna sitting on an eight-horse chariot.

While company officials declined to give details, production is expected to begin in 18 months from the date construction starts at the site. The project is meant to give direct employment to about 3000 when fully operational. Total investment: Rs 250 crore. Each ‘‘land loser’’ will be given ‘‘adequate compensation and a job.’’

Security arrangements were comparable only to that of a visit by the Prime Minister or the President. Santoso was given a motorcade of 13 cars packed with security personnel. No less than half a dozen Deputy Commissioners of Police were deployed outside Writers’ Buildings alone.

When asked about the blockade, Bhattacharjee said: “The less we talk about it the better. We will take care of all such disruptions. I am sure the foreign dignitary has neither seen or heard anything of this nature anywhere in the world.” Pressed for a comment on this, Santoso said: “Wherever we go for investments, we depend on the government’s support.”

Referring to projects in South 24-Parganas that he had talked about during his visit to Indonesia, Bhattacharjee said that the state needed more time to identify the land.