Mamata continues to stop Nano’s path

Monday, August 25, 2008 at 3:08 am

The stalemate over Singur only seems to be intensifying. Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee has taken the West Bengal Chief Minister head on, saying that he has no choice but to relent to her demands. However, an adamant Buddhadeb said that the first ‘Nano’ car will roll out of Singur. Despite their warning to withdraw from Singur, trouble seems far from over for the TATA’s and the Nano. Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has begun an indefinite sit-in dharna in front of the troublesTata Motor’s Nano car plant in Singur. Truck loads of supporters joined Mamata in what is being seen is a clear show of strength.

Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee is on the warpath, refusing to entertain the desperate pleas from West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is making a desperate effort to retain the Nano plant in Singur itself.

Mamata is expected to lead about One lakh supporters from ‘save farmland committe’ after she reached Singur at about 2 pm. SP leader Amar Singh, social activist Medha Pathkar has also join the dharna. About 21 Dharna platforms have been put up by the agitators around the around the car plant .About 2500 policemen have been deployed even though the govt has decided not to prevent Mamata from going to Singur.

Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is demanding return of 400 acres of land earmarked for setting up ancillary units to farmers, reacted saying “We don’t want anybody to move out… but at the same time, we will not bow to any kind of pressure.”

On Saturday (August 23), even as Ratan Tata is being wooed by other states, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had offered the olive branch to the dissenting farmers in Singur, offering to allocate additional land for farmers some 15kms away from Singur.

Tata’s withdrawing from the state would be a big blow to his government’s mission of attracting more investment. Furthermore the government’s inability to handle the law and order situation in Singur is a major blot on his record.

But with Mamata clearly calling the shots so far as Singur agitation is concerned, the government has little option but to let her march to Singur pass off peacefully.

Mamata asks partymen to lead peaceful agitation

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (August 23), appealed to her partymen to lead a peaceful agitation today at Singur, the site of the Tata Motors small car plant.

She also urged ruling Left Front partners RSP and Forward Bloc to join their indefinite dharna. “Our agitation will be peaceful and it will be a movement for the suffering masses,” Banerjee told mediapersons.

“I would like RSP and Forward Bloc to join the dharna,” she said, adding that 15 to 16 political parties and organisations would participate in the agitation.

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh, social activist Medha Patkar, journalist Kuldip Nayyar and writer Arundhati Roy are among them to be present there, she said.

Reiterating her stand that she would not relent till the 400 acres were returned to the owners, allegedly unwiling to part with their land, Banerjee said, “we have already offered a solution package to the West Bengal government to resolve the crisis in the interest of both agriculture and industry.”

She claimed that she has information that CPI(M) cadres may obstruct her journey to Singur, “but I’ve asked my party workers not to go for confrontation.”

Banerjee said that if obstructed, her partymen would stage a satyagraha on the road.

Holding the state government responsible for the crisis in Singur, Banerjee said, “this government has to resolve the problem by conceding the demand of returning 400 acres.

“We don’t want bloodshed or violence,” she said, adding that her movement would continue till the demand was met by the state government.

Asked to comment on her being projected as “anti-development” by the CPI(M), she said “whenever they fail to fight me politically, such allegations are levelled against me.”

On Ratan Tata’s threat to pull out of Singur, Banerjee said the dictum that “what I will tell is binding on you,” cannot be applied.

Mamata reaches Singur for indefinite agitation

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee reached here today (August 24) to lay siege to the Tata Motors car plant to demand return of 400 acres to farmers “unwilling” to part with their land. She was accompanied by Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and leaders of allies of TC.

Massive security was deployed on the adjoining Durgapur Expressway leading to Singur. Police personnel, mostly unarmed, had a tough time to control the surging crowd. The Trinamool Congress has set up 21 camps around the car factory for the indefinite dharna.

Amar Singh: Mamata Banerjee champion of farmers’ cause

Describing Mamata Banerjee as “a champion of the farmers’ cause,” SP leader Amar Singh today
said that he has come here to extend support to the Trinamool Congress leader in her fight against farmland acquisition. “Mamata is a champion of the farmers’ cause…I have come here to extend support in her fight against farmland acquisition,” Singh told reporters before leaving for Singur to participate in the indefinite dharna called by TC demanding return of 400 acres to farmers “unwilling” to part with their land.

The SP general secretary also invited Banerjee to Uttar Pradesh to voice for farmers’ rights. “Builders are grabbing farmers’ land under the Mayawati regime in UP. We will launch a pan-Indian movement against farmland acquisition,” he said. Singh said the CPI-M should not speak about growth as the party itself is responsible for thwarting industrial growth by calling strikes and bandhs.

Mamata: We don’t want Tatas to leave, but to return 400 acre

Amid repeated calls to party workers to peacefully hold the indefinite dharna over Singur land issue, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today (August 24) said her party did not want the Tatas to leave, but to restrict its small car factory here to 600 acre.

“If you smile, lets others also smile,” Banerjee told a huge gathering from the dais near the main gate of the Tata Motors plant here as her party launched the indefinite dharna to demand return of 400 acres to farmers unwilling to part with their land for the Nano project.

She said that in their letter to her the Tatas had stated that they required 600 acre for the mother plant of the small car. “Please don’t change your stand everyday.” The vendor park of the Tata Motors plant, she said, could come up opposite to the main plant where “CPI(M)-backed promoters have land.”

Stressing that the agitation would be totally peaceful the TC supremo told partymen and supporters, “Don’t even look at the walls of the Tata Motors factory. “We believe in people’s movement. No agitation can be
launched by demolishing walls. If anybody try to demolish walls, we will not have anything to do with them.”

Trinamool Congress volunteers even formed a human chain near the main gate of the Tata plant to prevent anyone from going near it. Two party flags of TC and SUCI which were tied to the police barricades were removed at her instruction. The area around the Tata Motors project turned into a fortress with massive deployment of security for TC’s indefinite dharna.

Over 2,000 police personnel, mostly unarmed, were deployed and the gate of the Tata Motors unit was barricaded with policemen on watch towers keeping close watch and water cannons kept ready. Mamata said her party would demonstrate the power of a peaceful movement and “force the government to accept our demand”.

In Kolkata, CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose said there should be more dialogue to sort out the Singur land impasse and as a first step, the number of farmers who were unwilling to part with their land should be determined.

Bose, who said he had no objection to a peaceful and democratic movement, said following the initial talks between Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee, there should be exchange of papers and documents to ascertain claims and counter claims. “The government will place its papers and the opposition will give their documents and in this manner a solution will be found to the Singur deadlock,” Bose said.

Home secretary Ashoke Mohan Chakraborty said the TC leadership had kept its promise to keep the stir peaceful. The police were keeping tight watch so that factory workers had unhindered access to the Tata plant, he said after reviewing the situation at a high-level meeting with DGP A B Vora and IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia.

(With inputs from PTI)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Mamata continues to stop Nano’s path

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