Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has said that though the licence permit raj in the country was over, some businesses still believed they could get away with violating the law.

“There is always a view among some segments of industrial community that they are above the law and they can manage the environment,” he said in an interview to CNN-IBN.

Indicating that even post-license raj, businessmen in India still believe that they can cut corners in getting ahead and influencing politicians, he said: “Yes, it is still there and if enforcement was stricter and more uniformed, then I think India can become a better place.”

He said the turmoil in Singur, where the group plans to start a small car manufacturing plant, was “political” and the company’s track record of exemplary corporate citizenship was proof of their good intentions.

“I think Singur is unfortunate. It is not our battle. We are caught in a crossfire that is political,” he said.

Last month, the Tatas outbid Brazil’s CSN to acquire Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus Group for $12.1 billion and become the world’s fifth largest steelmaker.