Singur verdict: How SC vindicated the farmers' and Mamata Banerjee's long fight for justice

We often claim that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’, but try telling that to the people of Singur, who have been biding their time swinging between hope and despair for the last 10 years. At long last, they have their land back, which was yanked from them by a government blinded by a landslide mandate and hell-bent of bringing about change in industrial firmament without caring for ground realities. Supreme Court bench on Wednesday overruled the Calcutta High Court verdict land acquisition done in Singur by the erstwhile Left government for Tata Nano plant. The construction of the plant was rapidly underway, when Mamata Banerjee, who was languishing in political wilderness after two consecutive electoral drubbings, started a protest on behalf of the unwilling farmers.  A spark gave way to a raging volcano against the Left and their top-down style of governance. The Left’s callous handling of the affair and their refusal to take it seriously helped the movement gain steam. The protest was further inflamed by the brutal rape and murder of Tapashi Malik, a TMC activist who was at the forefront of the agitation. In hindsight, one can see how the Singur protest, along with the Nandigram movement, laid the foundation for the modern-day juggernaut that is TMC.

Mamata Banerjee’s stunning accession to power completely destroyed what seemed like the an unbeatable organisation at one point.  Former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s pompous utterance of ‘We are 235, they are 30’, to ridicule the opposition was first given a resounding slap by the voters, and the SC’s verdict can be seen as the final nail in the communists’ tale in West Bengal. The Left under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee wanted to break free of years of lack of industrialisation under Jyoti Basu’s rule. But in their zest to change Bengal, Buddha and his men over-compensated, and didn’t follow proper procedures as highlighted by SC and brazenly trampled basic rights of poorest of the farmers.

Singur and Nandigram, laid the foundation that helped Didi become a powerful political force and some cynics might criticise Mamata for using the movements for her ‘petty’ political goals, but that has been the modus operandi of every politician in every democracy known to mankind. 

Singur wasn’t a barren piece of land, in fact it yielded three different kinds of crops a year. The choice of the land given a-la-carte to the Tatas, was an act of overcompensation to make up for years of lack of industry. With its innate hubris, the Left seemed to believe that its ‘well-oiled machinery’ could move into ‘damage control’ mode and prevent any bad press.

None of that takes away from the fact that she stood steadfast against what seemed like a mighty system, a combination of the state and industrial machines,  championing causes that were definitely worth fighting for. 

Finally, when all hell broke loose, the government tried but series of tripartite meetings failed to break the deadlock. Finally, on October, 2008, Tata group left Bengal for Sanand in Gujarat, welcomed with open arms by erstwhile Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. While leaving, the normally magnanimous Ratan Tata descended to the level of modern-day journalists, as he took a swipe at  Mamata Banerjee in an open letter in 2008.

Buddhadeb with Rahul Gandhi in 2016 when the Cong and Left fought  WB elections together 

Didi after coming to power on 13 May 2011 tried to frame a state-specific land acquisition law and tried to acquire the land. She had said after becoming CM: “It has been decided at the cabinet’s first meeting that the Tatas are welcome to build their factory on 600 acres. But 400 acres will be given back to the farmers." Not that this really helped the Tatas, since unwilling farmers were scattered all around and it wasn't a realistic option.  Tata got a stay and the matter appeared to be stuck in the quagmire that is the Indian legal system.

 While the TV channels and political leaders moved on, the common people suffered silently. The Singur issue in the last five years had become an albatross around Mamata’s neck with agony of farmers increasing with every passing year and most legal experts citing the Land Acquisition Law of 1894 to claim that farmers would never get their land back.

But the SC verdict cancelled the validity of the deal, claiming that due diligence wasn’t carried out during the initial acquisition. The verdict came as a shot in the arm for Didi who always maintained – a claim that was starting to look like a hollow promise – that land will be given back to unwilling farmers.

To top it off,  SC also said that those who had taken compensation can also get their land back and they don’t need to give back their money and has given a 12-week deadline. It is a big win for Didi, who very surely will go to town (or village) hailing the judgment. The slogan of Ma-Mati-Manush was properly vindicated by this historic judgement.

 Manush (people) can finally get their mother (ma) land (mati) back.  While the move was a setback to the Tata group, the fading Left had always cried hoarse that Didi hijacked a well-intentioned scheme. However, the SC verdict clearly shows the foundations of the ground on which the deal was made was shaky from the beginning.The moral high ground which the bhadrolok elite Left of West Bengal tried to seize has now been given a deathly blow. A shoddily done deal has been given a public burial! 

 But where does it leave the farmers of Singur and how will the verdict play out in context of overall industrialisation of the state of Bengal and India at large. For the farmers of Singur, this is a symbolic win, a closure after 10 years. Whether the land is still conducive for farming is anybody’s guess!

Tata Factory in Singur circa 2007 (AFP) 

As for industrialisation, West Bengal is still in a state of abyss. Mamata is still struggling to get away from the agitation mode, and despite lavish conferences and generous assurance of land banks, big business has eluded the state. But there has been some positive news in the last few years and with the Singur hatchet finally buried, perhaps Bengal and India Inc. can rebuild bridges and learn from the judgement.

Mamata needs to slowly move away from her rigid land-acquisition law and with a robust agrarian base to bank on, can get Bengal to the path of industrialisation. 

Celebrating in Singur (2016) - Zee 24 Ghanta 

The industrialists also need to be aware that farmers can’t be taken for a ride just by the might of their purses.  Industry is essential but farmer’s rights is also key and the two events cannot be seen as mutually exclusive. A bit of empathy, persuasion and holistic planning can go a long way to achieve consensus in prickly situations. The Singur judgment will be a landmark for that reason. No longer can the hands that feed be taken for a ride.  The SC’s verdict is a reminder that in this seemingly harsh world, there still exists room for justice and fairness, and even the weakest of the weak won’t be taken for a ride in a democracy like ours.