Post-Nano, Trinamool shivers

Singur MLA of Trinamool Congress ‘shocked’, may resign from party

KOLKATA: Farmers in Singur are up in arms against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. Not many subscribe to her view that the Tata pullout is a victory for her stir.

With mass protests having started since Friday night after Ratan Tata’s meeting with the chief minister and the subsequent pullout announcement, the “willing” and “unwilling” among the farmers have merged into one frustrated group who have taken to showering the choicest of abuse on the Trinamool chief.

These farmers began blocking the Durgapur Expressway even as the CPI(M) called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh demanding that the factory be re-opened.. The blockade was called off at noon.

When the police tried to disperse the protestors, they hit back saying: “When Mamata was blocking the expressway for so many days, you were silent. Now when our future is at risk you have come to do your duty.”

Agitating farmers tried to dig up roads leading to Singur. The situation was brought under control after local CPI(M) leaders asked them to show restraint.

The Nano pullout has started weakening Banerjee’s base at Singur, with most of her lieutenants who were spearheading the anti-Tata movement going underground to evade public anger. Save Singur Farmland Committee convener Bencharam Manna hasn’t been seen since Friday night.

Trinamool MLA from Singur Rabindranath Bhattacharjee says, “We never imagined the Tatas would leave. This is a great loss.” Party sources said Bhattacharjee may even resign from the Trinamool Congress with some of his supporters.

 c_sumanta@dnaindia.net