Anti-farmland stir again erupts in Singur, Mamata returns with a warning

SINGUR/NANDIGRAM: Anti land-acquisition agitation erupted in West Bengal on Sunday as police fired rubber bullets to quell protestors at the Tatas' car project site in Singur and firebrand Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee vowing to oppose Left Front government's bid to use farmland for industry and Special Economic Zones.

The trouble began this morning when hundreds of villagers under the banner of Singur Krishi Jami Rakha (Singur farmland protection) Committee marched towards the Tata Motors' project site and tried to uproot fence-posts taking.

Police first charged with batons and then lobbed teargas shells to disperse the demonstrators, who also included activists of Trinamool and Left-leaning SUCI   but when both failed fired rubber bullets.

Eight people, including Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samiti convenor Anuradha Talwar and Singur Krishi Jami Rakha Committee convenor Becharam Manna were arrested, Hoogly police superintendent Supratim Sarkar said.

Sarkar said the clashes broke out near the Tata Motors project site at around 11 am when the protestors armed with iron rods, bows and arrows threw bombs at the police, who tried to disperse them. It was to control them that the rubber bullets, teargas shells were used and lathicharge was made.

A hut near the site caught fire, he said but denied the protestors' allegations that it was sparked by teargas shells.

In Nandigram, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee returned to the centrestage of the anti-farmland movement after a month's break with a public meeting at Nandigram sternly warning Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government against acquisition of farmland for industry. 

"Till the last drop of my blood", I will not allow the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government to forcibly acquire farmland to set up industries or SEZs," said Banerjee making her return after the gap of a month due to her indisposition following her 25-day hunger strike.

Appreciating the villagers of Singur and Nandigram for launching the agitation against farmland acquisition, she said, "You have become the talking point for people all over India and even abroad".

"People in other places are talking how brave the people of Singur and Nandigram are in resisting the government move to forcibly acquire farmland with all their might and five people in Nandigram have sacrificed their lives for that cause," she added.

Banerjee accused the Left Front government of playing with fire on land acquisition issue and warned it would "pay the consequence" for playing with fire and taking the people for granted.

Last year, she had undertaken an indefinite hunger strike against the Tatas' car project in Singur and called off the fast only after a request from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Today, Banerhee alleged the state government did not fulfill the promise made to her that it would speak to her before the work on the Tata Motors project begins.

The formal work on Rs 1000 crore small car project by the Tatas started last month with the construction of the boundary wall and foundation for the main plant.

Meanwhile, state minister and CPI leader Nandagopal Bhattacharya came out openly against the police action at Singur and demanded immediate meeting of the Left Front to discuss the issue.

"I don't support the police action against women. This is a bad omen for Left Front. I was called by some TV channel from Delhi to comment. Do I like it that such things are happening in West Bengal?" Bhatacharya said.

He said the state government should discuss the issue not only with opposition parties but with its own constituents to resolve the entire land-acquisition issue.

Smaller parties in the ruling front like CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc have been speaking against the land-acquisition policy of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government alleging the matter has not been discussed thoroughly by the alliance before the administration went ahead with acquisition for setting up industry and SEZ.