Certain forces supplying money to organise riots: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minisiter Mamata Banerjee today said that certain forces were providing money to organise riots in the state, warning that her government would deal strongly with any attempt to create communal disharmony.

"We have information that some people are trying to organise riots in the state by arranging funds. Big heads are involved in it. We have specific information about who are funding to create riots. I warn them not to play with fire. We will not allow riots to break out here," she said.

Banerjee was speaking at a government programme in hooghly district which she was visiting to review government projects. “We have never supported riots or communal disharmony and we will not spare anyone who tries to instigate communal discord in the state,” warned Banerjee.

She also urged the people not to lend ears to rumours. "Even three or four mischievous people are enough to start riots in localities. Do not lend ears to rumour-mongering and we should not get involved in riots. Hindus and Muslims will live together. "People of all faiths are our property. Hindus and Muslims are flowers of the same stem and we care for both,” Banerjee said reiterating her government's zero-tolerance for the politics of bandhs and blocades at a time when she was trying to woo industries for employment generation. "We would not tolerate politics of bandhs and blockades and obstruction which would create hurdles to industries and employment", she said.

On return of land to farmers who were unwilling to part with their land for the Tata Motor's small car project in Singur, which is in Hooghly district, Banerjee said that she was with them and would continue to remain so. "I would take a decision after the court verdict" was what she said.

She said she had never deceived people by misleading them. "I am no coward. I do not leave the field leaving people in the lurch. I was with you and will remain so," she told the unwilling farmers who had not received compensation cheques offered by the erstwhile Left Front government.

The automobile giant had been given 997 acres of land on lease in Singur in 2007 by the Left Front government for a factory to produce India's cheapest car, the Nano. It pulled out of Singur a year later and moved its Nano project to Gujarat. The Supreme Court had on July ten asked Tata Motors to make its stand clear on its leasehold rights over the Singur land in the wake of changed scenario as the company had already moved its car plant out of West Bengal.

“The land was acquired for establishing a car manufacturing plant at Singur. Now, the purpose is no more there as you have already moved out. Now you cannot say that you still have interests in the land in question,” a bench of justices HL Dattu and Dipak Misra had said.