The CPI(M) central leadership’s decision to launch a nationwide movement for the protection of the land of the farmers and demand the repeal of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 have come as a shot in the arm of the arch rivals, Trinamul Congress. “Prakash Karat and his comrades have now realised what our leader Mamata Banerjee said four years ago in Singur: The state government should not acquire any land without the consent of its owner,” Trinamul Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee
said.
Trinamul Congress leaders feel that the CPI(M) extended central committee’s decision to dump the Singur model of land acquisition is Didi’s moral victory.
“Ms Banerjee went on a 26-day hunger strike to press for her demand for the return of Singur land to the unwilling farmers. She also held a meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the Raj Bhavan. However, Mr Bhattacharjee’s adamant stand prevented an amicable solution,” he added.
The Trinamul Congress went on to reap rich electoral dividends in panchayat, Lok Sabha and civic polls by cashing in on the contentious and controversial land acquisition issue. Even CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury admitted in Vijayawada that Ms Banerjee successfully exploited the Singur issue. Ms Banerjee’s persistent campaign for the return of 400 acres out of the 1,000 acres of Tata Motors’ plant at Singur led to the shifting of Nano project from Bengal to Gujarat. Contrary to the CPI(M)’s expectation, this did not diminish Ms Banerjee’s popularity. If anything, she emerged even more powerful.
Singur is so crucial to Trinamul Congress’ scheme of things that in her speech at Lalgarh rally on August 9, Ms Banerjee dwelt at length on land acquisition issue. She even announced that after coming to power she would return the Singur land to the farmers within 24 hours. This assertion was in sharp contrast to the chief minister’s stand that land once acquired by a state government could not be returned to its original owner.
Sources said that the CPI(M) leadership felt that Mr Bhattacharjee should have returned the land to the unwilling farmers.